Belinda Bencic jokes about almost throwing Ons Jabeur into the water during "romantic" Charleston Open photoshoot

Belinda Bencic shared her amusing experience while teaming up with Ons Jabeur for a "romantic" photoshoot ahead of the 2023 Charleston Open.

Bencic and Jabeur are currently participating in the WTA 500 event in South Carolina, which marks the beginning of the claycourt swing. They are both through to the last eight and could face each other if they progress to the final.

The duo came together for a candid promotional photoshoot at Mount Charleston at the start of the event. Swiss No. 1 Bencic spoke about her light-hearted experience with Jabeur in a post-match interview with Tennis Channel, jokingly revealing that she almost threw the Tunisian into the water.

"The photoshoot was amazing, I almost threw her into the water. No, I mean Ons is amazing. It was a 9am shoot and normally I'm a bit sleepy, but she made it fun. We had lots of nice pictures and a great talk."

"She's a very nice player that everyone really likes, so its nice and enjoyable to do these things and it's very beautiful here in Charleston," Belinda Bencic said.

Jabeur has always been a fan favorite and one of the most fun-loving personalities on the women's tour. She was unlucky not to win a Grand Slam title last year despite making the final at Wimbledon and the US Open. The World No. 5 is off to a slow start this season, amassing six wins from 10 matches and early exits at the Australian Open, Indian Wells and the Miami Open.

Bencic, on the other hand, has been exceptional in 2023. The 26-year-old has chalked up 18 wins from 23 matches and title-winning runs at the Adelaide International and the Abu Dhabi Open.

Upon being asked about the remarkable improvement in her game, she stated that getting out of the comfort zone in practice and taking care of small details has helped her cause.

"I think it's just mostly, you know, the work that I've been able to put on the practice courts. I got out of my comfort zone on a lot of things and I’m really proud of that for myself. I'm just trying to keep going and trying to improve my game in every part."

"And of course it's the small details here and there in matches that can make a huge difference. I'm really happy with how it's started this season, hopefully I can continue that," Belinda Bencic said.

Belinda Bencic to square off against Ekaterina Alexandrova next at the Charleston Open

Belinda Bencic at the 2023 Miami Open

Following her victory over Shelby Rogers, Belinda Bencic will square off against Ekaterina Alexandrova in the quarterfinals of the Charleston Open. The duo have faced each other six times on the tour and their head-to-head is locked at 3-3.

Alexandrova will have a slight mental edge over the Swiss after outclassing her in straight sets in Miami last week. However, Bencic got the better of the Russian last year in the semifinals at Charleston. It'll be interesting to see who comes out on top in this intriguing contest this time around.

The winner of this tie could square off against either Paula Badosa or Jessica Pegula in the semifinals.