Belinda Bencic's U.S. Open performance has been a surprise even to compatriot and former world No. 1 Martina Hingis. The 17-year-old Swiss defeated Yanina Wickmayer in the first round before upsetting No. 6 Angelique Kerber to reach the fourth round.
"I practiced with her on Sunday and I'm like, 'Wow, she played really good.' So I was, you know, expecting her to do well, but not as well as she actually did in the Wickmayer match," said Hingis, who is making another U.S. Open doubles comeback partnering Flavia Pennetta.
Hingis' mother, Melanie Molitor, is Bencic's coach. Their games are often compared, and Hingis agreed there are similarities.
"The technique, my mom puts a lot of attention to that. So the game, I mean, she's got a great backhand, as well," said Hingis. "But also she's stronger, so she can work with other weapons than I had. I mean, maybe I was more maybe a little better mover, but when she hits a shot it can be a winner. Like she's hitting a lot more winners than did I. So it's different a little bit."
While Bencic is still a long way from matching Hingis' teenage accomplishments, she is still one of the few teens having an impact on today's the WTA tour.
"You know, she has her style like I had mine, but she improved a lot. Every three months you can see improvements," said Hingis. "Also, the big difference is like the belief that you can actually win against big players, great players, seeded players in Grand Slams. I'm very happy for her that she was able to do that."