Kerber defeats Bencic, reaches finals of Paribas Open

The number eight seed Angelique Kerber ended the twelve match winning streak of Belinda Bencic on Friday (local time) to advance to the Paribas Open's finals.

Kerber defeated Bencic in straight sets 6-4, 6-2. It is the first time in two months that Bencic lost a match at the hands of a top ten player at the Paribas Open.

"It is always tough to play against Belinda. She played so great in the past few weeks," Women's Tennis Association (WTA) quoted Kerber as saying.

"I was trying to focus only on my side of the court. I was trying to play concentrated, and going for it when I had the chance. I really enjoy the semifinals here - it was already twice here, and I am really happy to be in the final for the first time now," she added.

The 31-year-old was 2-4 down in the first set, but the number eight seed came back strongly winning the last four games to take the first set 6-4.

Bencic was unable to bring her ace game to the court and she was regularly bogged down by Kerber's aggressive style of play.

Kerber will now play against Canada's Bianca Andreescu in the finals of Paribas Open on Sunday.