Bencic Survives Tiebreak, Advances at Charleston Open in Three Sets

Belinda Bencic absorbed a second-set tiebreak loss and still found a way to win, defeating Dayana Yastremska 6-2, 6-7, 6-3 on the clay courts of Credit One Stadium in Charleston, South Carolina to advance in the Credit One Charleston Open.

The Swiss veteran opened the match with authority. Bencic's steady baseline construction and tactical variety gave Yastremska little rhythm in the first set, which Bencic claimed 6-2. The second set shifted the match's tenor entirely. Yastremska, whose aggressive counterpunching and physical game make her a dangerous opponent in extended exchanges, clawed back into the contest and forced a tiebreak, which she took to level the match at one set apiece.

Bencic's response in the decider was controlled. She rebuilt her margins on a surface where patience and placement matter more than raw pace, and closed out the third set 6-3 to seal the victory. For a former Charleston champion, the ability to re-establish structure after dropping a tiebreak reflected the kind of match-craft that comes with tournament experience at this event.

The win carries weight beyond the result itself. Bencic's run through the draw at Charleston, a key stop on the WTA Tour's U.S. clay-court swing, provides crucial match repetitions ahead of the European clay season. Players who build confidence and conditioning in Charleston often carry that form into the spring calendar's bigger events, with Roland Garros as the ultimate destination.

For Yastremska, the three-set contest demonstrated her capacity to unsettle established players and extend matches deep into deciding sets. Converting that pressure into wins remains the next step.

Bencic advances further into the Charleston draw, where her familiarity with the venue and clay-court pedigree make her a threat as the field narrows.