For a former teenage prodigy, Belinda Bencic has had to wait a long time to make good on her extraordinary early promise. A former junior world No 1, Bencic was once hailed as the natural successor to Martina Hingis. The Swiss was a US Open quarter-finalist at the age of 17 and a top 10 player a year later, at which point injury stalled her vertiginous ascent. The years since have been punctuated by as many frustrations as triumphs. Now though, at the age of 24, and after beating Marketa Vondrousova of the Czech Republic to become the Olympic women’s singles champion, she can finally lay claim to a slice of tennis history that eluded not only Hingis, but also Roger Federer and Stan Wawrinka.
Bencic, who becomes the first Swiss woman to win a gold medal for tennis, could hardly have done more to earn her place in the record books. For the fourth round in succession, Bencic was taken the distance, prevailing in three sets just as she had done against French Open champion Barbora Krejcikova, Anastasia Pavlyuchenkova of Russia and, in the semi-finals, Kazakhstan’s Elena Rybakina. It was a performance of courage, stamina and resolve from the Swiss sixth seed, who successfully negotiated a contest of labyrinthine twists and turns to subdue Vondrousova, the woman she partnered to the women’s doubles title at Roland Garros three years ago, 7-5, 2-6, 6-3.
“I think maybe the success I had very early made people think now it has to go very easy. It’s not like that,” said Bencic. “Everyone has their own time. Some people do it earlier, some people later, some people never, some people always. You never know, every career has its own story but the most important is to be happy with yourself.
“You always have to overcome difficulties. I don’t know any athlete who has only ups and no downs. Sometimes I found it a bit unfair that people thought I was out of the game, I was gone. I always did my best, I always worked hard and in the end, that was what I could rely on. I knew that I always gave my best and that was enough for me.”
While Bencic now has her sights set on another gold medal alongside Viktorija Golubic, whom she will partner in Sunday’s women’s doubles final against the top-seeded Czech pairing of Krejcikova and Katerina Siniakova, Vondrousova can reflect with satisfaction on a week that has brought unexpected rewards.
What a revelation the Czech has been in Tokyo, beating the second seed and home favourite Naomi Osaka in round three before powering past world No 6 Elina Svitolina in the semi-finals to record her best run since reaching the French Open final two years ago. Having arrived in Tokyo as the subject of scarcely concealed disdain from some of her compatriots after using a protected ranking to make the Czech team, edging out world No 23 Karolina Muchova, Vondrousova leaves with a silver medal and a point proved.
“It’s an amazing feeling,” said the 42nd-ranked Vondrousova. “Today I was feeling a bit tired, but I think we played an amazing match. To have the medal is so good, I’m just too happy, I’m not going to be sad.”
In a match of countless twists and turns, the early momentum was with Bencic. Alive to the danger of Vondrousova’s signature drop shots, the Swiss was sharp from the outset, pouncing on anything remotely short and pounding back her opponent’s southpaw serve to earn an early break. But Bencic failed to consolidate the advantage, some loose play handing Vondrousova a love break, and when she subsequently gifted her opponent a second service game with a double fault, she cut a frustrated figure.
Adversity has brought out the best in Bencic at these Olympics, however, and some aggressive play off the ground reaped immediate dividends as she broke back at the first time of asking. It set the tone for a nip-and-tuck conclusion to the set. The decisive breakthrough came in the twelfth game, Bencic forcing the play from the baseline and harrying her opponent into errors to claim the set.
That was the cue for a tactical shift from Vondrousova. Abandoning her go-to strategy of using sliced backhands, angles and drop shots to vary the play, the Czech moved inside the baseline to clump the ball with unbridled power. Fourteen winners and 39 minutes later, the match was level.
Vondrousova carried her momentum into the decider, quickly moving a break ahead. But Bencic’s team had been imploring her to keep going for her shots, and now she paid heed, once again seeking to dictate from the back. After a lengthy game on serve, the Czech paid the price for a second successive drop shot as Bencic pounced to drill home a forehand winner. Another exchange of breaks followed, but it was Bencic who proved the steadier down the home straight, breaking to love in the eighth game before serving out for the title.
“History,” declared Federer on social media. And so it was, a piece of Swiss tennis history that Bencic was quick to dedicate to the absent Federer, with whom she had planned to play mixed doubles before a setback with his knee forced his withdrawal from the Olympics.
“Roger wrote to me today,” said Bencic. “He said this is the perfect day to reach my dreams. I was really happy about that, and he was absolutely right. He’s incredible in that way. He really supports all the Swiss players – it’s incredible the support I receive from Roger, and this win is for him.”
Further history was made in the bronze medal match, where Elina Svitolina secured a first podium finish for Ukraine in tennis with a 1-6, 7-6 (7-5), 6-4 victory over Rybakina. Svitolina, the fourth seed, who was extended to a decider in each of her first three matches in Tokyo, once again did things the hard way, recovering from 4-1 down in the final set to claim the biggest win of her career.
“Coming here, for sure my goal was to win a gold medal, and it was extremely tough to lose in the semi-finals and then try to regroup and come again against a top player who is playing really good,” said Svitolina. “To win such a big battle for the bronze medal definitely means the world to me. Everyone in Ukraine is watching – we don’t win so many medals, you know – so for sure, it’s very special for me and for Ukraine.”