By Chris Oddo | Sunday, January 24, 2016

 

Despite falling to Maria Sharapova in the round of 16 on Sunday, Belinda Bencic is upbeat about her prospects for 2016.

Photo Source: Corleve

Belinda Bencic had her mightily impressive winning streak against the Top-5 snapped at five matches by Maria Sharapova on Sunday in Melbourne, but the 18-year-old Swiss tells reporters that she’s happy where she’s taking her game.

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“I'm just really happy now,” Bencic said after falling 7-5, 7-5 to Sharapova in her first ever round of 16 appearance at the Australian Open. “I faced everyone in the top 10 and the top players. I feel like it's getting—I'm getting closer and closer. So that's the positive part.”

Moral victories are not on Bencic’s agenda at this stage of her career, but she was quick to take the loss to an in-form Sharapova in stride, seeing it as something to learn from rather than something to lament.

“For sure if I will keep working hard and just improve a little bit here and there, and also the head, most important situations, it can go well,” she said. I'm trying to take the positive also from today.”

Bencic, who has gone 47-22 with two titles and two finals since the beginning of 2015, says the little things will fuel her progress. And she’s got a good idea of what needs to be done. “Starting with the serve, with just a little bit more fitness, to be more fit, defensive game, offensive game,” she said, when asked what’s on her to-do list. “Just everything. Small details is what matters.”

Bencic, who has won 10 of her last 14 matches against the Top-10, is staying grounded, focused on keeping good practice habits and maintaining her intensity regardless of her level of play. “Well, I'm proud of I give everything in every single practice and every single match,” she told reporters on Sunday. “So that's really what I want to do this year. And then for sure I can go far. I have to put the effort in really everything what I do. If it's fitness session or a practice session, I really always have to give 100%.”

And even though she’s out of the draw in Melbourne, Bencic doesn’t consider her work to be finished. Her next task? See what she can glean from watching the quarterfinal between Serena Williams and Maria Sharapova on Tuesday in Melbourne.

“Obviously they are the top two players of the game,” she said. “I think there were a lot of like epic battles between them. I'm definitely gonna be watching and learning.”