Belinda Bencic started into the WTA tournament in Linz with a dramatic victory against Kirsten Flipkens.On Wednesday, Lara Arruabarena is waiting for the wounded Swiss woman.
It was not even two years ago that Belinda Bencic took Leipzig by storm: The Swiss Fed Cup team under Heinz Günthardt had come to Eastern Germany as an equal opponent, even though Angelique Kerber had won her first Grand Slam title at the Australian Open a few days before.But the weekend belonged to Bencic, who won both singles against Kerber and on the opening day against Andrea Petkovic, and shortly afterwards reached the top ten in the world rankings.
At the moment, however, the 20-year-old Swiss is in position 228, due to a longer injury break.Her first-round victory at the Upper Austrian Open in Linz will help Bencic return to lighter regions of women’s tennis, but in Upper Austria, Tournament Director Sandra Reichel had to help out with a wildcard.What Reichel didn’t take much time to think about, Belinda Bencic is as winning as a guy and as a fit player.
Why she wouldn’t have taken advantage of her Protected Ranking, Bencic was asked on Tuesday?Well, this would only be on the 23rd.And then she would not have been able to play in Linz.That’s how you do it.
Kirsten Flipkens tormented Bencic in the first round until the excess, in the tiebreak of the third set the Swiss won.Such results are fun – and that’s exactly what Belinda Bencic has missed in the months at the beginning of the year.The public’s pressure was simply too great, the victories were missing.The re-entry into training was only associated with slight doubts, but her team took it very slowly – especially since the attending physician had great experience and treatment successes with this type of injury.
At the beginning, Bencic continued in Linz, she would have played with soft balls only to protect the regenerating wrist.With other pros like Madison Keys or Juan Martin del Potro, the injury would happen again and again, but Belinda Bencic is very optimistic in this respect.Kirsten Flipkens took revenge immediately, the pairing Bencic and Barbara Haas bid farewell in doubles.No breaking a leg, especially since the Austrian singer rarely appears in pairs anyway.
Bencic’s first real sense of achievement came a few days ago in St. Gallen.Petersburg, with the tournament victory at the ITF tournament there.These are small steps on the way back to the front, in Linz the next one could follow on Wednesday evening: Lara Arruabarena from Spain is per you with the sand, but the Swiss should be better off with reasonably fast hall surfaces like at the Upper Austrian Open.
Here is the single panel in Linz