Belinda Bencic held nine-month-old daughter Bella in one arm and the WTA Abu Dhabi trophy in the other after claiming the title on Saturday in a 4-6, 6-2, 6-1 fightback finals win over Ashlyn Krueger. 

The Swiss who won Olympic gold in Tokyo had only returned to the Tour last autumn; she backed up her trophy here from 2023, the year before she left the circuit for a pregnancy pause.

Bencic worked for nearly two and a half hours to secure victory in only her fourth event since returning to tennis; she reached the Australian Open fourth round last month in a show of strength and an indication of possible things to come.

She is the first mother to claim a singles title since Elina Svitolina in Strasbourg, May, 2023.

Bencic now owns nine WTA trophies and stands a flawless 9-0 at the Gulf venue.

The 27-year-old Swiss will shoot up the rankings from 157th to around 65th. She will miss next week’s tournament in Doha but will reappear in the final tournament of the February Gulf swing in Dubai from February 17.

She won that prestigious UAE event in 2019.

Main photo:- Belinda Bencic and daughter Bella with Abu Dhabi Trophy – by WTATennis.com

Emma Raducanu exited in the first round of successive tournaments at the Abu Dhabi Open today following her loss in Singapore Open.

World No. 56 Raducanu was unable to capitalise on being promoted to the main draw rather than having to qualify for the first time since her fairytale run from qualifying in the 2021 US Open to winning the final, losing 3-6,4-6 to former Wimbledon Champion Marketa Vondrousova

The Brit started well against Vondrousova, leading 3-1 after an early break of serve, but then lost five consecutive games and the first set.

The Czech who had returned from a six-month break in January following shoulder surgery, saved four break points early in the second set before breaking for a 5-3 lead and served out for the match, taking her third match point.

She will play fourth seed Yulia Putintseva from Kazakhstan  in the next round.

Emma Raducanu has laid down the law as the former US Open winner searches for the seventh coach of her career, with the Briton apparently in no hurry to formalise a new hire.

The 2021 champion who won her Grand Slam title from a qualifying start, has been through six mentors in just a handful of seasons, with her most recent, Nick Cavaday, quitting to take care of personal health matters.

Raducanu has battled injuries and a decided lack of match play, going through coaches like a bag of sweets. 

She reached last month’s Australian Open third round, but then won just a game off of Iga Swiatek before crashing out in the first round of Singapore last week.

But Raducanu, ranked 56th, is standing firm in her determination to control her own destiny and refuses to be rushed as she picks a lucky seventh mentor.

“It’s a decision that I want to take my time with,” she said prior to her start at the WTA Abu Dhabi event.

“That’s why I haven’t necessarily jumped into something straight away, because I want to make sure it’s a right fit.

“And this period where I don’t have someone is going to teach me a lot, what I want, what I don’t want to look for in the next person.”
The 22-year-old added:

I’m not too sure yet right now. I haven’t come to any plans or decisions. 

“I’m using the next couple weeks to see how I feel, and then make a decision.”

Raducanu’s list of discarded coaches includes Andy Murray’s father-in-law Nigel Sears, Andrew Richardson, German Torben Beltz, Russian Dmitry Tursunov and Sebastian Sachs. .

“Unfortunately, it hasn’t always worked like this (smoothly),” she said. (But) I see how much I’ve developed in the last year as well, on and off the court.”

Raducanu has a tough ask in the Abu Dhabi opening round, facing off with former Wimbledon winner Marketa Vondrousova.