TORONTO – Unseeded Swiss teen Belinda Bencic defeated Simona Halep 7-6 (5), 6-7 (4), 3-0 to win the Rogers Cup women’s final on Sunday afternoon at Aviva Centre.
Halep, who was hampered by a left leg injury and heat exhaustion, decided to retire early in the third set.
The victory over the second-seeded Romanian capped a week of upsets for the 20th-ranked Bencic. She beat four of the top five seeds – including top-ranked Serena Williams in the semifinal – to claim her first Premier-Five level title.
READ MORE: Swiss teenager beats top-seeded Serena Williams to head to Rogers Cup final
Halep needed treatment and massage therapy at times during the match. She used ice towels and drank fluids to try to cool down and did well to force a deciding set.
But the 18-year-old Bencic didn’t let up, taking the first three games in the third set before Halep shook hands and announced she couldn’t continue.
Bencic earned US$456,000 for her second career WTA Tour title. Halep, who was looking for her fourth title of the season, earned $227,640 as runner-up.
The doubles final was scheduled for later Sunday. The third-seeded duo of American Bethanie Mattek-Sands and Lucie Safarova of the Czech Republic were to meet fourth-seeded Caroline Garcia of France and Katarina Srebotnik of Slovenia.
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