Belinda Bencic of Switzerland celebrates winning her women's singles fourth round match against Ekaterina Alexandrova of Russia at the Wimbledon Tennis Championships in London, Monday, July 7, 2025.
Ekaterina Alexandrova of Russia celebrates a point during her women's singles fourth round match against Belinda Bencic of Switzerland at the Wimbledon Tennis Championships in London, Monday, July 7, 2025.
Ekaterina Alexandrova of Russia serves to Belinda Bencic of Switzerland during their women's singles fourth round match at the Wimbledon Tennis Championships in London, Monday, July 7, 2025.
Ekaterina Alexandrova of Russia plays a return to Belinda Bencic of Switzerland during their women's singles fourth round match at the Wimbledon Tennis Championships in London, Monday, July 7, 2025.
Belinda Bencic of Switzerland reacts after winning her women's singles fourth round match against Ekaterina Alexandrova of Russia at the Wimbledon Tennis Championships in London, Monday, July 7, 2025.
LONDON (AP) — Belinda Bencic advanced to her first quarterfinal — 11 years after her All England Club debut — by beating 18th-seeded Ekaterina Alexandrova 7-6 (4), 6-4 on Monday.
Bencic, who had lost in the fourth round on three previous occasions, failed to convert five match points while serving at 5-3 in the second set. But on the sixth one, Alexandrova sent a forehand long on No. 1 Court.
“For you guys it was entertaining,” Bencic said about that marathon game at 5-3, where Alexandrova finally converted her fourth break point to stay in the match. “For me it was a big stress.”
The 28-year-old Bencic's best result at a Grand Slam was reaching the semifinals at the 2019 U.S. Open, where she also reached the quarters on two other occasions.
The Tokyo Olympic champion, playing at Wimbledon for the ninth time, had not been into the last eight at any of the other three majors, until now.
“I always got stuck in the fourth round (at Wimbledon),” Bencic said in an on-court interview. “So it was so important for me today to be able to kind of break through to the quarterfinal.”
Bencic missed last year's grass-court Grand Slam tournament while she was on maternity leave, — a daughter named Bella — in April 2024.
She said traveling with a child on tour is still relatively easy while Bella is so young, but that she's spending a lot more time taking pictures when she's at tournaments.
“I’m juggling it like every mom does,” Bencic said. “So, props to the moms.”
Bencic will play the winner between seventh-seeded Mirra Andreeva and No. 10 Emma Navarro, who were playing on Centre Court later. Navarro in the previous round, ensuring there will be a first-time winner of the women's tournament this year.
Also later, No. 8 Iga Swiatek was playing Clara Tauson and No. 19 Liudmila Samsonova faced Jessica Bouzas Maneiro.
AP tennis:
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