Belinda Bencic wins Abu Dhabi crown with victory over Ashlyn Krueger, claims first title since return from giving birth

Belinda Bencic claimed her first WTA title since returning from giving birth to her daughter with victory over Ashlyn Krueger in the Abu Dhabi Open final. Bencic made her return to the sport after more than a year out in October, nearly missing the entire 2024 season, and was back in Grand Slam action at the Australian Open last month, reaching the fourth round before being ousted by Coco Gauff.

Belinda Bencic of Switzerland holds her daughter after victory against Ashlyn Krueger of the United States

Image credit: Getty Images

Less than four months after returning from maternity leave, former Olympic champion Belinda Bencic claimed the Abu Dhabi Open crown with a gruelling victory over Ashlyn Krueger.

Bencic, who returned to the sport in October after a 12-month absence as she gave birth to her daughter, embarked upon a stunning run in the United Arab Emirates, notably ousting world No. 5 Elena Rybakina in the semi-finals on Friday.

And she sealed her first piece of silverware since 2023 - which coincidentally also came in Abu Dhabi - with a 4-6 6-1 6-1 win over Krueger in the final which lasted two hours and 22 minutes.

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"Obviously big emotions, of course," Bencic said. "It was a tough final. I feel like I needed to put [on] my turbo in the second and third set. It was a really special moment, seeing [my newborn] Bella there in the third set."

A former world No. 4 and Olympic gold medallist in Tokyo, Bencic has enjoyed a fruitful return to the sport, notably reaching the fourth round of the Australian Open last month before eventually tumbling to Coco Gauff.

Bencic's latest trophy becomes the Swiss star's ninth WTA singles honour, while retaining a perfect record in Abu Dhabi (9-0).

Krueger was a dominant force in the opening set, outclassing Bencic with 21 winners, but the eventual champion soon found her feet.

Bencic got the measure of her American opponent, and her robust game began to shine through, hitting minimal unforced errors and finding joy on her groundstrokes.

The resilient world No. 157 was not broken in either the second or third set, as she romped to victory by dropping just a single game in both.

"In the first set, there were a couple of chances on both sides that maybe we didn't use, and then it just went her way," Bencic said.

"I just felt like I needed to go for it a little bit more, and I started to be more aggressive and loosen up a little bit more. I tried to give everything I had, run for every shot, and kind of play all-out."

Upon collecting her trophy, Bencic was joined by her newborn daughter, as the Swiss became the first mother to claim a WTA singles title since Elina Svitolina's success in Strasbourg - per WTA.

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