In the battle of the mother and the teenager, experience won out. Belinda Bencic is in her first Wimbledon semi-final after containing the 18-year-old sensation Mirra Andreeva and striking a blow for hard-pressed parents everywhere.
Andreeva was the favourite to win this Centre Court tussle after tearing through these Championships. She came into the match yet to drop a set, with observers purring about the growth in her game.
Bencic, meanwhile, arrived at only the fourth grand slam quarter-final of her career relatively unheralded, bar for the fact this new mother – she gave birth to daughter Bella last year – was the last mum standing as the women’s draw reached the final eight.In remarks after her fourth round tie she said she was “juggling it just like every mum does”.
So this was a match of intrigue, and one that drew the attention of the Queen Camilla, sat front and centre in the royal box. It was also a contest that was evenly matched, with both players able to impose their strengths but unable to conceal their weaknesses. In the end it could be argued that Bencic’s composure was the crucial factor in deciding the outcome, the benefit of having been around a little longer, perhaps.
“I stayed brave and stuck to the plan,” Bencic said, revealing she had spent the previous night analysing her opponent’s game, internalising it as she fell asleep. “I haven’t played her in a match before, but I felt like I was prepared to play today.”
It was a close contest throughout, decided in small margins on the court and inside the players’ heads. Andreeva was the more forceful player, asserting herself on her serve and fearsome forehand, while Bencic was largely on the defensive.
The Swiss player dug in, but was able to ask enough questions of Andreeva to produce uncertain answers. The teenager had all the power, but less control.
It was this issue that proved decisive in the opening tie-break. Andreeva conjured an ace on her first service point, but her second was picked off on the second serve by Bencic for a mini-break. From that point the Russian was chasing, and did so by dialling up the intensity. This was her greatest opportunity, but also a temptation, and Bencic was able to take advantage of it.
At 2-3 and in at the net, Andreeva had all the court to aim for but drove a big volley well wide. At 3-5 she put too much power into her service return and drove it into the net. Once again looking for a winner, a poor forehand from the teenager sealed the set in Bencic’s favour.
The second set followed the same slow build as the first, but Bencic looked as if she had decided the contest when she broke Andreeva at 4-4. The Russian then found her best moment of the match. Bencic was battered into submission and the score was 5-5. It felt like a possible turning point, but then came a second tie-break in which Bencic once again mastered the details.
Andreeva felt that timidity had cost her. “Today maybe sometimes I was a little bit too passive and didn’t really use my opportunities and my chances,” she said. “I can say that when I’m trying to be more aggressive on the court, I feel like I’ll win more points. I’m going to try to focus on practising on being aggressive.”
Such a prospect may well prove challenging for Andreeva’s opponents in future. But this time the laurels went to Bencic, who faces Iga Swiatek in their semi-final on Thursday, with perhaps some midnight visualisation in between.“Obviously, she’s a player with a lot of quality, and I’m looking forward to the opportunity to play her again,” Bencic said. “I hope I will be prepared as best as I can for tomorrow.”
