By Chris Oddo | Saturday, October 11, 2014

 

Belinda Bencic and Alison Riske will each bid for their maiden WTA title on Sunday in Tianjin, China.

Photo Source: Christopher Levy

Belinda Bencic and Alison Riske put the kibosh on a potential all-Chinese final at the Tianjin Open on Saturday, as both notched victories to reach their maiden WTA final at the inaugural edition of the event.

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Riske, a 24-year-old from Pennsylvania, was the first to go through to the final. She pummeled China’s Zheng Saisai, winning the first nine games and cruising to a 6-0, 6-1 victory.

Bencic, the youngest player in the WTA’s top 100 at 35 in the world, passed through when China’s Peng Shuai was forced to retire with back issues after only four games.

Peng and Zheng were bidding to create the third all-Chinese final in WTA history, and the second on Chinese soil.

If Bencic can claim the title, the 17-year-old would become the youngest player to secure a singles trophy on the WTA Tour since 15-year-old Tamira Paszek won in Portoroz, Slovenia in 2006.

Bencic and Riske have never met before.

In the doubles, Anastasia Rodionova and Alla Kudryavtseva will try to solidify their bid for a spot in the WTA finals when they meet Sorana Cirstea and Andreja Klepac in the final. Rodionova and Kudryavtseva would eliminate Martina Hingis and Flavia Pennetta to claim the final spot with a victory.