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.(AP Photo/Kirsty Wigglesworth)
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.(AP Photo/Kirsty Wigglesworth)
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.(AP Photo/Kirsty Wigglesworth)
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.(AP Photo/Kirsty Wigglesworth)
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.(AP Photo/Kirsty Wigglesworth)
‘Props to the moms’: Bencic reaches her first Wimbledon quarterfinal on ninth attempt
LONDON (AP) — Belinda Bencic advanced to her first Wimbledon quarterfinal — 11 years after her All England Club debut — by beating 18th-seeded Ekaterina Alexandrova 7-6 (4), 6-4 on Monday.
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.(AP Photo/Kirsty Wigglesworth)
LONDON (AP) — Belinda Bencic advanced to her first Wimbledon quarterfinal — 11 years after her All England Club debut — by beating 18th-seeded Ekaterina Alexandrova 7-6 (4), 6-4 on Monday.
Bencic, who 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.”
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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.”
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Bencic will next play seventh-seeded Mirra Andreeva or No. 10 Emma Navarro, who were playing on Centre Court later. Navarro in the previous round, ensuring there will be yet another first-time champion. It will be the ninth different women’s champion in the past nine editions of Wimbledon. Serena Williams was the last repeat champ in 2016.
Also, No. 19 Liudmila Samsonova reached her first Grand Slam quarterfinal by beating Jessica Bouzas Maneiro 7-5, 7-5 on No. 2 Court.
Samsonova has yet to drop a set this tournament and will next face No. 8 Iga Swiatek or Clara Tauson.
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