MELBOURNE, Australia — Belinda Bencic of Switzerland became the first player to advance to the fourth round of the Australian Open, after a 4-6, 6-2, 6-4 win over Kateryna Bondarenko of Ukraine in the opening match Friday on Rod Laver Arena.
With the roof closed and play on outdoor courts at Melbourne Park delayed because of steady rain, the 12th-seeded Bencic overcame a slow start to dominate the final two sets of the 1-hour-50-minute match.
Bencic, the first Swiss woman to advance to the round of 16 here since Martina Hingis and Patty Schnyder in 2007, will play either the fifth-seeded Maria Sharapova of Russia or the American Lauren Davis in the next round.