Bencic squeezes into first Wimbledon quarter-final

Switzerland’s Belinda Bencic reached the quarter-finals of Wimbledon for the first time thanks to a straight-set win against Ekaterina Alexandrova.

Russian Alexandrova had looked strong in the Championships prior to Monday’s match and had not dropped a set on her way to the last 16.

But the 18th seed came up against a confident Bencic, who looked in control from the outset and held her nerve in high-pressure moments to win 7-6 (7-4) 6-4.

The unseeded 28-year-old will next face either Mirra Andreeva or Emma Navarro for a place in the semi-finals.

“It was crazy stress out there but I was so happy to break her in the end. The atmosphere was unbelievable,” said the former world number four.

“I tried to be more brave. I had a few weeks of good practice and matches under my belt.

“I always got stuck in the fourth round so it was important for me to break through to the quarter-final.”

Bencic has been in good form since becoming a mother last year, winning the Abu Dhabi Open in February, just 10 months after giving birth.

She was the underdog in this match though, given 30-year-old Alexandrova beat her 6-1 6-2 at the Bad Homburg Open two weeks ago and was seeded for Wimbledon.

But Bencic raced into a 4-1 lead and although Alexandrova battled back to force a tie-break, the Swiss player held her nerve to take the opening set.

The second set was closer until Bencic secured the first break at 4-3 after fighting back from 30-0.

It seemed like Alexandrova would edge her way back into the match as she broke back immediately, but Bencic rallied to win again on her opponent’s serve and seal the match.

“It has been really amazing,” she said of travelling to tournaments with her child. “I am really proud of myself and the whole team. I am really enjoying it.

“It is amazing to share the memories as a family. I feel like as a family I am taking more pictures!”

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