Bencic Fights Hard to Join Gauff in the Round of 16 at the WTA 1000 in Beijing

Belinda Bencic had to dig deep to overcome Priscilla Hon in Beijing. After a tough start to the match and losing the first set, the world No. 16 showed her determination by winning the match in three sets.

Bencic gave herself a real scare, but she will indeed be in the round of 16 in Beijing. The world No. 16, facing Priscilla Hon, took some time to get into the match.

The 27-year-old Australian, who came through qualifying, was playing her fifth match of the tournament after wins against Shibahara and Cocciaretto in qualifying, as well as against Golubic and Ostapenko in the main draw.

Unfazed, the world No. 108, who took a few games to get going, eventually took control of the match against a player she hadn't faced since 2017.

Trailing 4-2 in the first set, Hon then won four consecutive games to take the opening set. Mentally struggling, Bencic didn't bounce back immediately in the second set.

Hon even led 3-1, but the Flawil native eventually found the resources to fight back. She regained the upper hand, winning eight of the next nine games. A momentum shift that would prove costly for Hon, who never recovered from that dip.

In the end, Bencic won in three sets (4-6, 6-4, 6-3 in 2 hours and 24 minutes). She will face Coco Gauff for the fourth time this year for a spot in the quarterfinals. While the American defeated Bencic at the Australian Open and in Madrid, the Swiss player had the upper hand over the Roland Garros champion at the Indian Wells tournament in March (3-6, 6-3, 6-4).