Bencic saves six match points to set up Halep clash in Dubai

Belinda Bencic of Switzerland plays a forehand return against Aryna Sabalenka of Belarus in Dubai on Wednesday

Dubai - Bencic beat eighth seed Aryna Sabalenka of Belarus 6-4 2-6 7-6 (9/7) in two hours and 26 minutes

In a dramatic three-set third round battle, Belinda Bencic of Switzerland saved six match points and converted the only one she got to stun eighth seed Aryna Sabalenka of Belarus 6-4 2-6 7-6 (9/7) to set up a quarterfinal clash with world number two Simona Halep in the Dubai Duty Free Tennis Championships.
The 21-year-old Bencic, who won the Hopman Cup for Switzerland with Roger Federer at the start of the year, played solid tennis in the first set against Sabalenka on Wednesday night.
But the Belarusian hit back in the second set with two breaks of serve and another break of serve in the third put her in a commanding position.
Bencic kept fighting back, saving four match points to be back on serve before saving two more in the nerve-wrecking tie-break.
The Swiss then converted the only the match point she got to knock Sabalenka out of the tournament after the two-hour-26-minute battle - the last match of the night.
"I really don't know how I won tonight. I think we both played a great match. She is a great player, so I think we both deserved to win, maybe I was a bit lucky in the end," the world number 45 said.
In a match with so many twists and turns, Bencic saved match points at 3-5, 4-5 and 5-6 before saving a couple more in the tie-break.
"I played those match points with my back to the wall. I had nothing to lose. I just played and I can't believe that I turned it around," she said.
"I survived her hard hits, her hard serve. It's really tough to play her because she hits so hard, so you also have to take some risks sometimes."
Bencic said the extraordinary match gave her a lot of energy for her next clash with former Dubai champion Halep.
"I have no thoughts yet about facing her. She is a champion. She puts a lot of balls back," Bencic said.
"But I have nothing to lose anymore. I can only win. I am really happy about this tournament already. So everything now is a bonus."

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