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Swiss tennis’ rising star
Updated
8:14 AM EDT, Wed April 16, 2014
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Hingis' heir: The new 'Swiss Miss?' —
Belinda Bencic is a 17-year-old Swiss tennis prodigy who is set to become one of the stars of 2014.
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Hingis' heir: The new 'Swiss Miss?' —
Born in Switzerland to parents who emigrated from the former-Czechoslovakia in 1968, Bencic began playing tennis as soon as she could walk.
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Hingis' heir: The new 'Swiss Miss?' —
As a child Bencic idolized Swiss tennis stars Roger Federer, Stanislas Wawrinka, and Martina Hingis (left), and still has posters of them on her wall.
Mark Metcalfe/Getty Images
Hingis' heir: The new 'Swiss Miss?' —
Aged four, she enrolled in a tennis school run by Hingis' mother Melanie Molitor, who she still works with.
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Hingis' heir: The new 'Swiss Miss?' —
In July 2013, Bencic beat America's Taylor Townsend to take the Wimbledon girls' championship, having already won the French Open in Paris the previous month.
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Hingis' heir: The new 'Swiss Miss?' —
Bencic ended 2013 as the No. 1 junior and was crowned the female 2013 ITF Junior World Champion.
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Hingis' heir: The new 'Swiss Miss?' —
Aged 16, Bencic was reported by Forbes to have 11 sponsors.
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Hingis' heir: The new 'Swiss Miss?' —
She is now coached by her father Ivan, and trains for half the year at former world No. 1 Chris Evert's tennis academy in Florida.
Mark Metcalfe/Getty Images
Hingis' heir: The new 'Swiss Miss?' —
In January 2014, Bencic fought an exhibition match against Hingis, billed as "the Master versus the Apprentice" -- but lost out to her childhood idol.
Mark Metcalfe/Getty Images
Hingis' heir: The new 'Swiss Miss?' —
At the Australian Open, Bencic made her first adult grand slam appearance, beating veteran Kimiko Date-Krumm before falling to eventual winner Li Na in round two.
Chris Hyde/Getty Images
Hingis' heir: The new 'Swiss Miss?' —
In April's Family Circle Cup, Bencic fought through two qualifying rounds and four competition rounds -- knocking out Maria Kirilenko, Marina Erakovic, Elina Svitolina, and Sara Errani -- to become the first qualifier to reach the tournament's semifinals.