London, July 7 : Belinda Bencic defeated No. 18 seed Ekaterina Alexandrova 7-6(4), 6-4 to reach her first-ever Wimbledon quarterfinal, and her first Grand Slam quarterfinal since becoming a mother, in 1 hour and 57 minutes here on Monday.

Just two weeks ago, the Swiss star had managed to win only three games in a heavy defeat to Alexandrova in Bad Homburg, marking her return from an arm injury. But Bencic turned the tables in emphatic fashion, needing just under two hours to clinch a spot in the last eight.

The match featured a tense finish. Serving for the match at 5-3 in the second set, Bencic held five match points, only to see Alexandrova erase four of them with fearless forehand winners. When Alexandrova broke back, momentum appeared to swing.

But Bencic, showing composure and grit, rallied from 0-30 in the next game, winning four straight points and sealing the win on her sixth match point as a forehand from Alexandrova sailed long.

The 28-year-old, who gave birth to daughter Bella in April 2024, has made a swift and inspiring return to form. Unranked last October, she is now back up to No. 35 in the world. Monday's win adds to an impressive 2025 that already includes a title in Abu Dhabi and a fourth-round showing at the Australian Open, as per WTA.

Bencic, a former Wimbledon junior champion (2013) and proven grass-court threat, had fallen in the fourth round three times previously. This time, she broke through. For Alexandrova, it's another missed opportunity ' her third Round of 16 exit in a major, and second consecutive at Wimbledon.

Bencic, who won the women's singles gold medal in the 2020 Tokyo Olympics, will now aim to reach her first Grand Slam semifinal in what has already been a remarkable comeback season.

Bencic's best performance at the Grand Slams is reaching the semifinals of the US Open in 2019. She has also guided Switzerland to the Fed Cup title in 2022 and the Hopman Cup crown in 2018 and 2019.

/IANS