Bencic beats Pavlyuchenkova to win Kremlin Cup
MOSCOW (AP) — Belinda Bencic recovered from a set down to beat Anastasia Pavlyuchenkova 3-6, 6-1, 6-1 in the Kremlin Cup final on Sunday.
Third-seeded Bencic broke Pavlyuchenkova in the Russian’s first service game in both the second and third sets.
Bencic hit eight aces despite landing just 54% of her first serves.
She’s the first Swiss woman to win the Kremlin Cup since Martina Hingis in 2000.
The win capped a productive week for Bencic after she secured the last spot at the WTA Finals on Saturday. By qualifying for the Moscow final, Bencic overtook Serena Williams in the points ranking for qualification for the finals in Shenzhen, China.
