Bencic out to end 2-year title wait in Berlin vs. Samsonova
BERLIN (AP) — Belinda Bencic will aim to win her first title since 2019 when she takes on qualifier and first-time finalist Liudmila Samsonova at the Berlin Open.
Bencic won her semifinal against Alize Cornet 7-5, 6-4 on Saturday after converting all four of her break points and saving eight of 10 on her own serve.
The Swiss player last won a title in Moscow in 2019 and her only final since then was a loss to Iga Swiatek in Adelaide in February. She last won a grass tournament in Eastbourne in 2015, beating Agnieszka Radwanska for her first career title.
Samsonova pulled off a major upset as she ousted two-time Australian Open winner Victoria Azarenka 6-4, 6-2. The Russian is on a six-match winning streak after coming through qualifying, and eliminated two former Grand Slam finalists, Madison Keys and Marketa Vondrousova, in the early rounds.
___
More AP tennis: https://www.apnews.com/apf-Tennis and https://twitter.com/AP_Sports
HEADLINES
- No. 2 Gauff falls as Wimbledon delivers another 1st-round shocker
- Pegula stunned in Wimbledon 1st round by No. 116 Cocciaretto
- Defending Wimbledon champ Krejcikova fights back to beat Eala
- 2-time Wimbledon champion Kvitova bids farewell to 'best tournament'
- No. 1 Sabalenka doesn't want 5-set matches in women's tennis