Belinda Bencic’s mental toughness makes her stand out from the crop of talented young players currently lighting up women’s tennis. She thrives in match situations that would bother other players, frequently producing her best tennis when she needs it most. And the 18-year-old Swiss is often able to channel her emotions into a more aggressive, targeted approach on the court, which enables her to get into a rhythm and reel off several games in a row.

Bencic also possesses an excellent all-round game and has beaten a string of top players in the last 12 months, prompting many observers to tip her for Grand Slam glory in the future. Although identified by some as a prospective champion in her junior days, she first came to the attention of the tennis world at large when she reached the fourth round of the 2014 US Open.

Bencic defeated both Angelique Kerber and Jelena Jankovic in straight sets at Flushing Meadows, a very impressive achievement that echoed the first teenage Grand Slam runs of Laura Robson at the US Open in 2012 and Eugenie Bouchard at the Australian Open in 2014. Those wins over Kerber and Jankovic highlighted several key characteristics of her game:  her aggressive court position, her excellent shot selection, her natural ability to construct points effectively, and her capacity to out-think her opponents.

That breakthrough also highlighted her self-confidence and level-headedness, as she noted in a post-match interview following her victory against Jankovic. “I definitely didn’t feel any pressure because it was my first time on the Arthur Ashe stadium in the night session,” said Bencic. “So I really just tried to enjoy it. I think she had all the pressure because she needed to win. I mean, I would have many more chances if I didn’t win today.”

Bencic’s nerveless handling of pressure situations had already caught the attention of 18-time Grand Slam champion Chris Evert, who, in an interview with CNN Open Court in April 2014, said of Bencic: ‘She's very focused mentally, emotionally very composed and I just thought: “She has it.”’

Sometimes, however, her composure is threatened by spells of on-court petulance. The Swiss prodigy is a fiery character who clearly expects a lot of herself. When she misses at a crucial moment, she often bounces her racket against the court or shouts at her coach, and she can frequently be seen fuming at the changeover after she’s played a poor game.

Before her team faced Switzerland in the Fed Cup in April 2014, for example, Brazil's captain Carla Tiene cast doubt over Bencic’s ability to control her nerves and described her as ‘a young player with a temper’ whom rowdy home fans could potentially unsettle. However, Brazilian fans clearly didn’t bother Bencic too much. She won one of her two singles matches and the doubles rubber alongside Timea Bacsinzsky – and in many ways this sums up her character.

Bencic loses her temper occasionally. But the important thing is how quickly she regains her composure. Every time she has a tantrum, she shrugs it off and settles again almost straight away – and often plays better after her show of emotion. Furthermore, a lack of passion for the game would be a far bigger problem for a potential mega-star, and Bencic’s obvious hunger to compete is one of the characteristics that make her such an exciting talent.

It is interesting to compare Bencic with Eugenie Bouchard, who rose higher, further, and faster than the Swiss during an incredible 2014. While Bencic’s level-headed attitude to success seems to prevent it from unduly affecting her, the talented Canadian clearly struggled under the weight of expectations when her golden spell came to end with a crushing straight-sets loss to Petra Kvitova in the Wimbledon final. Arguably, Bouchard has still not recovered, and it is telling that Bencic has now risen above her in the world rankings.

The 18-year-old’s ascent to the top looks set to continue after a fantastic week in Toronto. Faced with a tough draw for her debut in the Rogers Cup, the Swiss prodigy defeated Eugenie Bouchard, Caroline Wozniacki, Sabine Lisicki, and Ana Ivanovic to set up a semifinal against Serena Williams.

Bencic’s second-round triumph was the third time she had beaten the popular Dane, and Wozniacki was suitably impressed with her teenage conqueror. At the post-match press conference, she said: ‘She's a good player. She's different from most of the other young ones coming up. She takes the ball early. She places the ball. She doesn't have the biggest power, but she thinks out there, and I think that's her biggest strength.’

It is clear from Wozniacki’s words that she does not face many players like Bencic, which is very much the way it was when past players faced the Swiss player’s mentor, five-time Grand Slam champion Martina Hingis. Understandably, Bencic is often compared to Hingis, and while their style of shot-making is different in many ways, their mental approach to the game is definitely similar and undeniably impressive.

Bencic is also coached by Hingis’ mother, Melanie Molitor, so it seems almost inevitable that some aspects of her game resemble the former world No. 1 (her serve is a notable example), and the 18-year-old often expresses her gratitude to Hingis and her mother for helping her focus and succeed on the tennis court.

Their influence was certainly in evidence when Bencic won her first WTA title in June, the Aegon International in Eastbourne, as the young Swiss herself acknowledged. After beating Agnieszka Radwanska 6-4 4-6 6-0 in the final, she credited Hingis and Molitor with ‘teaching me everything I know.’

Facing Serena Williams in the Rogers Cup semifinal will certainly be the biggest test of Bencic’s career. Although she is unlikely to win, she will learn a lot from the match regardless, and she may garner enough knowledge to win a Grand Slam sooner than expected. But whatever happens, this precocious 18-year-old seems destined to reach the pinnacle of tennis eventually.