Belinda Bencic Wins Rogers Cup, Defeating Simona Halep

Eighteen-year-old Swiss teen Belinda Bencic claimed victory over an injured Simona Halep on Sunday winning the 2015 Rogers Cup in Toronto, as reported by Yahoo. Bencic finished out her hard-fought run against second seed Halep, who took several medical breaks during the match for a left leg injury, cramping, and heat exhaustion. Eventually, the injured Halep had to stop the match in the third set, the BBC reports.

”I was thinking that I need a miracle to finish the match,” Halep said following her defeat. ”I knew that I had no power, so I tried just to finish the match, but at 3-0 I said there is no sense to continue and I stopped.” Adding, “Sorry that I couldn’t finish the match. I tried very much but it wasn’t possible.”

Bencic’s success marks her second WTA Tour title win for the Flawil native, who turned pro in 2012. In her first WTA Title win, Bencic defeated Radwanska with a 6-4, 4-6, 6-0 win at the Eastbourne International final in late June. Thrilled over her win, Bencic was at a loss for words as she spoke to the media.

”It’s like I cannot believe it, and it’s amazing,” Bencic said. ”I have no words for this, and definitely talk about a tough draw.”

Speaking about the match, Bencin shared “I stayed focused and I made the (score) 3-0. So I can be proud of how I fought today as well because I (was also) up there and I was down.”

It was a long road to victory for Belinda Bencic at the Rogers Cup, as well as a historical one. Bencic had to first defeat Canada’s Eugenie Bouchard, followed by fourth-seeded Caroline Wozniacki. After securing both wins, the young tennis star moved on to Sabine Lisicki and fifth-seeded Ana Ivanovic before competing against world No. 1, Serena Williams. In an unbelievable upset, Bencic won the match, becoming the only other teenager alongside tennis pro Sloane Stephens to beat Williams. Bencic’s victory against the tennis great also made her the youngest player to beat Williams since Maria Sharapova at the 2004 WTA Tour Championships.

Belinda Bencic has won 21 out of her last 25 matches, allowing her to move from 20th to 12th in world rankings.

[Photo by Dave Sandford / Getty Images]