Belinda Bencic’s impressive post-pregnancy comeback continues as the Swiss has just completed a huge 3-6 6-3 6-4 comeback win over No. 1 seed Elena Rybakina to reach the Abu Dhabi Open final.
In the first set, only one break of serve that the Kazakh got in the sixth game was enough for her to seal the opener.
Elena Rybakina© Mubadala Abu Dhabi Open/Instagram – Fair Use
But after failing to threaten seriously the defending champion in the opener, the Swiss impressively bounced back at the start of the second set, taking an early 3-0 lead before serving out for a decider in the ninth game.
Early in the third set, Rybakina lost her serve in the first game but instantly got it back in the following game.
However, Bencic remained absolutely calm and she continued with her game, breaking the Kazakh in the third and seventh games for a comfortable 5-2 lead.
While the former world No. 4 missed out on two consecutive match points when serving for the match in the eighth game, she didn’t panic and managed to close out the match in the 10th game.
The Swiss wildcard – who is currently ranked at No. 157 in the world – this will be her first WTA final as a mother.
Bencic set to meet Ashlyn Krueger in the Abu Dhabi final
For the Abu Dhabi title, the former world No. 4 will battle against Ashlyn Krueger, who defeated Linda Noskova 7-6 (2) 6-4.
The 20-year-old American, who won her first title at the WTA 250 tournament in Osaka last fall, now has a chance to also win her first title from the WTA 500 category.
“It feels amazing. I’m so happy to do it here in Abu Dhabi,” the world No. 51 said after beating Noskova.
“I think just really believing in my game, my coach and I have worked so long recently on a lot of things, but just believing what I’m working on.”
Meanwhile, Bencic now has a perfect 8-0 record in Abu Dhabi as she previously won the tournament in 2023 before missing it last year due to her pregnancy.
The Swiss and Krueger have no previous meetings.
Tennis World USA