TORONTO — Swiss teenager Belinda Bencic capped a fairytale run to the Rogers Cup title on Sunday when a distressed second seed Simona Halep was forced to retire from the final trailing 7-6(5) 6-7(4) 3-0.
Bencic needed nearly two hours and 30 minutes on a sweltering centre court to see off a determined Halep and claim the biggest title of her young career, putting down a marker as a player to watch at the U.S. Open.
The 18-year-old's Rogers Cup debut was a memorable one as Bencic's drive to the title included a stunning semi-final upset of world number one Williams and two former number ones in fourth seed Caroline Wozniacki and fifth seed Ana Ivanovic.