Abu Dhabi Open: Belinda Bencic beats Ashlyn Krueger to win ninth title
Switzerland’s Belinda Bencic celebrates with young daughter Bella Bella since becoming a mother after defeating American Ashlyn Krueger in the Abu Dhabi Open final He won the ninth WTA championship for the first time since.
The 27-year-old former Olympic champion fought back from a match to overcome 20-year-old Kruger 4-6 6-1 6-1.
Bencic’s victory comes 10 months after her first child arrived, less than four months since she returned from maternity leave for more than one year.
“It’s been a while,” she said.
The former world fourth-ranked WTA champion opened in Abu Dhabi in February 2023.
She added: “I’m so happy to be back in Abu Dhabi. I didn’t think of this. I was a little excited, too.”
“I’m even trying to compete, and I’m back. So it’s really special to win the championship in front of my family.
“I love you so much for my husband and daughter Bella. It’s a huge dream for me to come back and play in front of her and win the game.”
When Bencic returned to the sport in October, her world ranking dropped to 1,213, but she reached the fourth round of the Australian Open when she returned to the Grand Slam, and her run at the Abu Dhabi Open made her stand out.
Victory means now, she will now be as high as 65 when the ranking is next updated.
In recent months, World 51 Krueger has quickly improved his rankings, looking capable of completing frustration to claim he is the second champion, first at the WTA 500 level.
Bencic was broken four times in the absence of opening ceremony Defeat the top seed Elena Rybakina In the semifinals.
A clearly disappointed man from Krueger was kind to failure, saying in an interview beside the court: “It’s really impressive that you’re back to be a mother, it’s really inspiring, so congratulations and blessings.”
