Belinda Bencic battles past Leylah Fernandez in Guadalajara Open thriller to keep WTA Finals dream alive

Belinda Bencic is desperate to reach the WTA Finals and the dream is still alive after she battled past Leylah Fernandez in a Guadalajara Open thriller. The Swiss lost out to Fernandez over three tough sets at Roland-Garros but got her revenge with an exhilarating 7-5 6-7(10) 6-3 victory to reach the second round in Mexico. Ad Bencic required six match points to eventually come through what was a pulsating match in tough conditions and a superb atmosphere with the crowd very much invested in the encounter.

WTA CincinnatiRetiring Williams to face US Open champion Raducanu in Cincinnati opener13/08/2022 AT 08:10 To demonstrate the topsy-turvy nature of the match, Bencic saved three set points in the opening sets with her doughty opponent managing to deny her on five match points in the epic 12-10 second set tie-break alone. Bencic ended up with a remarkable 30 winners and 43 unforced errors, while Fernandez racked up 25 winners to 42 unforced errors in a match that lasted two hours and 45 minutes. The 25-year-old Swiss was left to reflect on the energy-sapping battle and what it took to eventually come through it.

«I think every match with Leylah will be, and is, very close,» Bencic said in her on-court interview. «She's playing very good and it's tough to find the rhythm against her. I'm happy I learned something from the last time I lost.

'People underestimate Fernandez' — Evert praises Canadian's 'intangibles' 21 bagels, 10,000 points: Swiatek hits fresh landmarks in title run Murray pulls out of European Open in bid to focus on strong finish to season »I felt like I had a good game plan but it was tough to execute it with the conditions. «I'm happy for the first match that I'm through. It doesn't have to be pretty.»