Peng Rolls Over Youngster Bencic To Reach US Open Semis
China’s Shuai Peng continued her remarkable run at the US Open on Tuesday, booking the first spot in the tournament’s semifinals with a 6-2, 6-1 victory over Switzerland’s Belinda Bencic at Arthur Ashe Stadium.
Peng needed just over an hour to dispose of the 17-year old. She now becomes the second woman from China to reach a US Open semifinal after Li Na made it to the final four last year. With Li out of this year’s tournament with a leg injury, Peng is representing China just fine.
She played nearly mistake-free tennis in the early afternoon match, committing just seven unforced errors in comparison with her 24 winners. She capitalized on four of her five break point opportunities including two in the second set which allowed her to run away with the victory.
The win puts Peng in her first ever Grand Slam semifinal. It took 37 Grand Slam tournaments for the 28-year old to finally reach a semifinal, a drought that is only bested by five players in history.
“It’s an amazing time for me,” said Peng in an interview after the match. “I love tennis and love to play, and it’s tough sometimes when I’m thinking of giving up and almost stopping playing because I don’t know if I can make it or not, but my coach and parents make sure I keep fighting and never give up.”
She now awaits the winner of 13th seeded Italian Sara Errani and 10th seeded Caroline Wozniacki of Denmark who play tonight under the lights at Arthur Ashe Stadium.
Bencic was the youngest woman to play in a US Open quarterfinal since another Swiss, Martina Hingis, won the whole tournament at age 16 in 1997. Bencic is actually coached by Hingis’ mother, Melanie Molitor, and received a code violation for getting help from her coaching box during the second set.
