TOKYO (Reuters) -Belinda Bencic reached her second Pan Pacific Open final a decade after her first with a hard-fought 7-6(5) 3-6 6-2 win over American Sofia Kenin on Saturday, booking a title clash with Linda Noskova, who advanced via a walkover.
Playing under the centre court roof of the Ariake Coliseum due to rain, both players stayed strong on serve in the opening 12 games before Swiss Bencic turned up the intensity in a tight tiebreak to take the opening set with a forehand winner.
Former Australian Open champion Kenin wiped the slate clean and came out firing to bag a break in the fourth game of the second set and overcame a minor wobble on her own delivery in the next game to eventually draw level in the contest.
Bencic, the Tokyo Olympics gold medallist, broke for a 3-1 lead in the decider after some sloppy play by Kenin, and the 28-year-old rode the momentum to wrap up the victory and stay on course for her second title of the season.
Earlier, Elena Rybakina pulled out of her clash against Noskova with a back injury, a day after the Kazakh secured the last qualifying spot for next month’s season-ending WTA Finals in Riyadh by reaching the semi-finals in Tokyo.
“I’m very sorry I can’t play today,” Rybakina said.
“I’ve been having problems with my back this week and can’t play 100%. I’m disappointed that my fans will not see me today but I hope to see you next year.”
Noskova, who was beaten in the China Open final earlier this month by American Amanda Anisimova, will aim to capture only her second WTA title having triumphed in Monterrey last year.
(Reporting by Shrivathsa Sridhar in Bengaluru; Editing by Tom Hogue)
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