Belinda Bencic reached his first WTA tour since his return from maternity leave with a surprise victory over Elena Rybakina at the Abu Dhabi Open.
The former Swiss Olympic champion won a triumph of 3-6 6-3 6-4 on number five in the world Rybakina in two hours and six minutes.
Bencic welcomed his daughter, Bella, in April 2024, and returned from a 13 -month break from the tour six months later.
The 27 -year -old victory over Rybakina of Kazakhstan was his first against an opponent among the first five since she became a mother, and she will face the American Ashlyn Krueger on Sunday.
Bencic, who won the title Abu Dhabi in 2023, said that the end of the final was a reward for “working very hard to return” after the birth of his first child.
“It was certainly not an easy road, and I am so excited that the results arrive so quickly,” said Bencic.
“It still doesn’t mean that work is over, so I have a long way to go, but I’m really happy to see how it works on the field. I really have fun on the field.”
Classified 1,213 in the world four months ago, Bencic is now guaranteed a return to the top 100 after the conclusion of the tournament.
The world number 51 Krueger, which has a title in simple WTA in its name, reached the final with a victory of the right sets on Linda Noskova of the Czech Republic.
The 20-year-old beat the world number 39 7-6 (7-2) 6-4 at Zayed Sports City International Tennis Center.
