Belinda Bencic of Switzerland saved multiple set points in a marathon first set to defeat Iga Swiatek of Poland 7-6(2) 6-3 and reach the quarterfinals of the US Open.
The pair’s first career meeting was February’s Adelaide final, where Swiatek produced a dominant serving display to clinch the title. Today in New York, the first set alone lasted more than that final, as Bencic converted her fifth set point, having saved four herself. The seventh-seeded Swiatek came back from 5-3 down to force a tiebreak and then Bencic recovered from a 5-2 deficit in that tiebreak.
In the second set, the reigning Olympic gold medalist and 2019 US Open semifinals never dropped serve and advanced to the final eight without conceding a set.
Bencic’s next opponent will be first-time Grand Slam quarterfinalist Emma Raducanu, who defeated American Shelby Rogers 6-2 6-1. The 18-year-old British qualifier won eleven games in a row after Rogers opened the first set with a 2-0 lead.
