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If Belinda Bencic wants to reach the 3rd round in New York, she needs a premiere: she has to defeat Sorana Cirstea for the first time.
It was great, the relief for Belinda Bencic when she made it into the second round of the US Open with an ace against Andrea Petkovic. The Swiss and the retiring German had dueled for more than 2 hours in extremely demanding conditions – great heat, high humidity and sometimes strong winds – before the favorite finally prevailed 6:2, 4:6, 6:4.
After the game, Bencic was happy about progressing, but she made no secret of the fact that it was a work win: “I’m glad I fought my way through. Of course, matches like this get me further. But I can definitely play better,” said the 25-year-old.
0-2 record against Cirstea
Play better, that’s what Bencic will have to do on Thursday if she wants to stay in the tournament beyond the second round. The Olympic champion also has a score to settle with her next opponent, Sorana Cirstea. In preparation for the US Open, the two crossed paths a good two weeks ago at the WTA 1000 tournament in Cincinnati. At that time, Cirstea kept the better end in the first round in 3 sets.
The Romanian world number 37 had already won the premiere duel against Bencic. In the spring of 2021, Cirstea defeated the Swiss in Melbourne in two straight sets in a preparatory tournament for the Australian Open.
Risk yes, but not too much
In the 3rd attempt and the most important direct duel so far, Bencic would like to succeed against Cirstea. She is willing to suffer for it. “She plays the balls very hard. I have to be able to endure this pace and try to force them to make mistakes,” was the plan for the 2019 US Open semi-finalist.
It will be interesting to see which of the two players can dictate the majority of rallies from the baseline. Should Bencic have the upper hand in that regard, Cirstea, who is not known as a defender, will find it difficult. However, the same applies the other way around.