TIANJIN, China (AP) — Belinda Bencic and Alison Riske will both be vying for their first WTA tour title when they face each other in the inaugural Tianjin Open final on Sunday.
Both players eliminated Chinese opponents in the semifinals on Saturday. Riske won the first nine games en route to a 6-0, 6-1 rout of Zheng Saisai, while Bencic advanced when hometown favorite Peng Shuai retired with a lower back injury while trailing 3-1.
The 17-year-old Bencic will try to become the youngest champion on the WTA tour since Tamira Paszek of Austria won in Portoroz, Slovenia, in 2006 at the age of 15.
“It’s bad luck for her that she (Peng) had to retire, but it changed nothing on my side of the net,” the third-seeded Swiss player said. “I feel like I’m playing really well here in Tianjin.”
Riske’s best previous results were two semifinal appearances at Birmingham in 2010 and 2013.
“I’m really excited to be in my first WTA final,” the sixth-seeded American said. “Obviously the job’s not done yet, but I’m really proud of the work that’s been put into it, and hopefully tomorrow brings another good day.”
Copyright 2014 The Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.
