No. 5 seed Belinda Bencic is through to her second final of the year after coming out on top in a three-set battle versus Sofia Kenin 7-6 (5) 3-6 6-2 to reach the title match at the WTA 500 tournament in Tokyo.
Late in the first set, Bencic missed out on a set point on Kenin's serve, but went on a four-point run in the tie-break to open a 6-4 lead before converting her second set point to take the first set that lasted an hour.
After losing the first set in a pretty tough way, 25th-ranked Kenin responded by claiming her opening two breaks in the second set and forcing a decider.
Bencic's level may have dropped in the second set, but it significantly improved in the third set as the No. 5 seed registered two breaks - and didn't face any break points - to seal the win.
In the Tokyo final, the Swiss former world No. 4 will play against Linda Noskova. A bit surprisingly, they have no previous meetings.
Bencic's reaction to overcoming Kenin
It was a very difficult match, for sure. Im really exhausted at this point. I dont know how (I got through it). I just tried to shorten the points, take more risks and try to go for it. Thankfully, today it went my way... It was very motivating to see a full stadium. Thanks to the fans and the crowd, we were able to fight, and both take out whatever we had in us," the Swiss said after reaching the Tokyo final.
As mentioned above, this will be Bencic's second final of the year. In February, the 28-year-old won Abu Dhabi after defeating Ashlyn Krueger in the final.
For Bencic, Tokyo is a special city, having won the gold medal at the Tokyo Olympics a couple of years ago. Now, the Swiss is one win away from also winning the WTA tournament in the Japanese capital.
