Belinda Bencic Adopts Martina Hingis' Winning Formula At US Open

— -- NEW YORK -- She has emerged from a draw loaded with upsets, riding a wave of youthful energy with a familiar precedent.

Belinda Bencic calls her berth in the US Open quarterfinals at age 17 "insane." But as the student of Melanie Molitor, who not so coincidentally is the mother and former coach of Martina Hingis, the Open champion at 16 in 1997, it all somehow makes perfect sense.

Early in the tournament, American CiCi Bellis drew widespread attention for her victory at age 15 over 12th-seeded Dominika Cibulkova.

Bencic has now mowed down two consecutive top-10 seeds in No. 6 Angelique Kerber and No. 9 Jelena Jankovic.

"I think there [are] opportunities," said Hingis, 33, a five-time Grand Slam singles champ and former No. 1 playing in women's doubles here. "There's options for young players who have the game and can produce great tennis and actually show they can beat players out there.