Swiss teen Bencic beats `injured` Halep to lift Rogers Cup

Halep said she her muscle was sore and then the pain spread to her knee.

That makes her win all the more staggering.

Bouchard, from Westmount, Que., made the Wimbledon final last year but then lost to qualifier Shelby Rogers in the first round of the Rogers Cup in Montreal in her return to the court. Bencic was just two years old in 1999 when Williams secured her first major title. “She played wonderful, she was running everywhere for all the shots”. However, in none of those matches was Williams down a double break and struggling to maintain serve, as was the case in Toronto. The next game gave us glimpses of what Bencic can do but the combination of defence and offence from the world number 1 was too much for her to handle.

At deuce while trailing 3-4, Williams served up a soft second serve that Bencic pounced on for a break point.

This is also Bencic’s first Premier 5 final, whereas Halep has already claimed two titles at this level in Doha and Dubai. If she can beat Halep in the final, she will be number 12 in the world.

“I really wasn’t so bothered”. She would go on to win her maiden tournament title in 2015, and has since gradually climbed up the WTA rankings.

It was the third win in four tries for Halep over Errani, having lost their first matchup at Miami in 2013 but won last year in a Doha quarter-final and earlier this year at Stuttgart.

The second set began with a crucial hold from Bencic. Those who have followed Bencic’s rise through the game over the past few months are aware that the Swiss youngster is a talent to watch. She broke again and at she found herself up 4-0. Halep, who was looking for her fourth title of the season, earned $227,640 as runner-up.

Bencic took control of the final point of the match with an aggressive crosscourt forehand before striking a down the line forehand victor to end the match after two hours and 28 minutes of play. Instead it would be the Romanian with her countrymen yelling and screaming her on to tie the match. But could she close it out?

Despite realizing that it was futile to go on because of how she was feeling, Halep still forced a third set when she could easily have pulled the chute.

The break was tight with the Romanian leading the way at 3-2. Both players showed that the heat was playing a tremendous factor in their performance. The Serbians ousted fourth seeds Rohan Bopanna and Florin Mergea 6-3, 5-7, 10-3 on Wednesday. Could she close it out this time? She hit 18 winners and 14 unforced errors to Bencic’s 4 and 6. She added another with a fight on deuce to take a commanding hold of the set halfway to victory. According to the WTA website, the Swiss is also the first unseeded player to defeat the top two seeds at a big event since Justine Henin’s 2005 Charleston victory. “I was thinking that I need a miracle to finish the match”. I’m sorry for Simona.

“Today when I was down 0-5, they were supporting me like I was up 5-0”, she said.

According to the report, Williams played the match with bandages on her left hand to protect her swollen fingers. “I have to be in Cincinnati to face Angelique Kerber on Tuesday so I will find the time to enjoy it”.