Abu Dhabi Open: Belinda Bencic beats Elena Rybakina to reach first final since maternity leave
Belinda Bencic has entered her first since she beat Elena Rybakina at the Abu Dhabi Open since returning to maternity leave WTA Tour Finals.
The former Swiss Olympic champion ranked fifth in the world with a 3-6 6-3 6-4 victory in two hours and six minutes.
Bencic welcomed her daughter Bella in April 2024 and returned from a 13-month break on the tour after six months.
The 27-year-old beat Kazakhstan’s Rybakina in her first game against top five opponents since she became a mother, and she will face the US’s Ashe in Sunday’s final Ashlyn Krueger.
Bencic, who won the Abu Dhabi championship in 2023, said the reward for “really working hard to get back” after the birth of his first child is the reward.
“It’s definitely not an easy road, I’m excited and it turned out so quickly,” Bencic said.
“It still doesn’t mean the work is over, so I still have a long way to go, but I’m really happy it’s working on the court. I’m really happy I’m on the court.”
Four months ago, Bencic ranked 1,213 in the world and after the game, Bencic can now return to the top 100.
The world’s 51 Krueger has a WTA singles champion named after him who reached the final with a direct defeat of Linda Noskova of the Czech Republic.
The 20-year-old beat the World 39 7-6 (7-2) 6-4 at the Zayer Sports City International Tennis Center.
