Belinda Bencic makes a winning start to the tournament in Ningbo.
Picture:
Keystone
Belinda Bencic gets the WTA 500 tournament in Ningbo in China off to a good start. The 28-year-old beat Magda Linette from Poland 6:3, 6:2 and will face a qualifier in the round of 16.
Belinda Bencic (WTA 14) did not get into trouble against Magda Linette, who has lost ten times in the starting round of her last 13 tournaments. She was always ahead in both sets, won all her service games and conceded a maximum of one point in the first seven service games.
Bencic’s victory against the world number 56 marked her first success against a top 70 player since qualifying for the semi-finals at Wimbledon in July. In the five tournaments since the grass court classic, she has only won five singles matches. Bencic is seeded No. 6 in Ningbo. In the round of 16, she will face Yulia Putintseva from Kazakhstan or Yulia Starodubtseva from Ukraine, who both made it through qualifying at the weekend.