BELINDA BENCIC IS PROVING THAT PRODIGIES CAN HAVE SECOND ACTS
NEW YORK—Belinda Bencic was in a rage. She had just dropped her serve for the first time against Donna Vekic, at an inopportune moment: 4-4 in the first set. Bencic had hit a forehand wide, a backhand into the net, and a backhand long. She spiked her racquet on the court and spent the subsequent changeover ranting at her father and coach, Ivan. Bencic has let her temper get the better of her before, including at this year’s Wimbledon, where she went over the emotional edge in a three-set loss to Alison Riske. This time, though, something different happened; the venting helped. She came back out and played two of her best games of the match, breaking Vekic and holding easily for 6-5 with a series of deep returns and backhands that rushed Vekic. Bencic would hold on to her good form the rest of the way. Her 7-6 (5), 6-3 win catapulted her to her first Grand Slam semifinal. “I think sometimes I need to get frustrated,” Bencic said today. “I feel like I let it out. I feel a little bit better after. I start to play better, I’m more pumped. Sometimes this…