Unseeded Peng Shuai of China beat 17-year-old Belinda Bencic 6-2, 6-1 in the U.S. Open on Tuesday to reach her first semifinal in 37 Grand Slam tournaments.
Only five women have participated in more majors before getting to a final four, and the relief brought Peng to the brink of tears.
The 28-year-old said in her on-court interview that she at times thought about quitting the sport.
“My coach, my parents, they always tell me to try to keep going and never ever, give up,” she said.
The 39th-ranked Peng was a model of consistency, hitting 24 winners and committing only seven unforced errors, while her opponent appeared to become unglued in the muggy 91-degree heat of Arthur Ashe Stadium.
The 58th-ranked Bencic was the youngest quarterfinalist at Flushing Meadows since another Swiss girl, Martina Hingis, won the title at 16 in 1997. Bencic is coached by Hingis’ mother, Melanie Molitor, and was issued a code violation for receiving help from her box while down 2-0 in the second set.
“It’s 6-2, 2-0 and you’re giving me a code violation?” Bencic yelled at the umpire.
Tenth-seeded Caroline Wozniacki, who eliminated five-time major champion Maria Sharapova in the fourth-round, takes on 13th-seeded Sara Errani in a night match for another semifinal spot.
Top-seeded and No. 1-ranked Serena Williams, who faces 11th-seeded Flavia Pennetta in another quarterfinal Wednesday, lost in the doubles quarterfinals with her sister Venus. Serena took a medical timeout because of a problem with her right foot, and later double-faulted on the last two points in a 7-6 (5), 6-4 loss to the fourth-seeded Russian duo of Ekaterina Makarova and Elena Vesnina.
And the run is over for U.S. Open darling CiCi Bellis.
The 15-year-old Californian, who became an overnight sensation when she stunned 12th-seeded Dominika Cibulkova in Flushing Meadows’ first round, lost her second-round juniors match to 17-year-old Russian Natalia Vikhlyantseva 7-6 (9), 2-6, 6-1.
