Naomi Osaka defeated Belinda Bencic 4-6, 6-3, 6-4 at the WTA 1000 in Miami to advance to a final 14 months later after two hours and nine minutes.
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Two tennis players who came to this stage without having stood out so far this season were facing each other for the pass to the fight for the title, being irregular and with not very good feelings, although the great results reaped by each one as three Grand Slams are well known. and No.1 for the Japanese while the Swiss is the Olympic champion. It was the sixth time they were measured in an official duel with Belinda dominating with 4-1.
Bencic strikes first
The first turns to serve could be saved with authority, but little by little Bencic was the one who positioned himself better. There were going to be two consecutive breaks by the Helvetian against a very disparate Naomi without being able to take a course that did not transmit doubts. The quarter was headed for the seed No.22 of the table that is disputed within the state of Florida. Even so, when it came time to define it, Osaka was able to improve her performance, after a good turn of serve she got the break and at 5-4, Bencic was able not to enter a forest full of nerves and came out with flying colors an important first part.
Osaka is on the rise
That improvement of the Japanese player was going to be seen at the beginning of the second set with Osaka being able to escape. Belinda was not going to waste the turns in which her opponent was competing with second and anchored in the baseline, she was able to shoot and force Osaka out of her comfort zone. However, the sensations were that the Japanese was taking the match to her terrain of authority. She increased her performance with the first hit fitting a minimum wear and the rest of her found nooks and crannies that were very difficult for the Swiss to occupy. Therefore, she was able to define the second set with her serve and take the duel to the third set on a day where the wind was not at all uncomfortable and where the heat was not as tight as in previous days despite having to deal with the humidity. .
The decisive moments go to the Japanese
The tension rose at the beginning of the third sleeve having very tense moments on the part of both. First it was Belinda who saved break balls, so that immediately afterward it was Naomi who earned her the duel at 2-2. From then on, it changed the duel completely. The Japanese continued to insist and took a break that was going to be vital for the future of that outcome. She mentally exhausted Belinda as at break confirmation Osaka played a very good game on serve. Therefore, immediately afterwards, the Swiss was forced to have to succumb again with the first blow and Naomi went 5-2 serving for the match.
The current World No.77 got tangled up when it came to serving and Belinda, who was almost out especially on a mental level, found herself with a break almost unintentionally. Afterwards, she had a very solid game on serve and after the break Osaka served again to take the duel but with less difference since she had a 5-4 lead. This time there was no time for doubts and he went for the duel finding the first match points with 40-0. The first was saved by Belinda taking advantage of the attack after the second serve. In her second choice, Naomi Osaka made it to the final at WTA Miami 2022 by beating Belinda Bencic.
