Belinda Bencic has returned to winning ways on the WTA Tour, with the former world number four triumphing at the Abu Dhabi Open.
Bencic only just returned to WTA Tour action from maternity leave, winning in what was her fourth event since giving birth to her daughter last April.
Coco Gauff beat Bencic at the Australian Open, but that fourth round finish was simply a sign of things to come.
Bencic took the first set against Gauff in Melbourne, having beaten Naomi Osaka in the third round, while she had previously reached the last 16 of the Adelaide International.
But the Swiss star has now beaten Ashlyn Krueger to clinch her ninth career title, and her first since Abu Dhabi in 2023.
Caroline Wozniacki and Boris Becker congratulate Abu Dhabi champion Belinda Bencic
Bencic is now 9-0 at the tournament, having secured a fine comeback victory after two hours and 23 minutes.
Billie Jean King congratulated Madison Keys on winning the Australian Open, with the former’s fellow legend Boris Becker now sharing a similar message for Bencic, writing on X: “That’s what you call a comeback… Well done Belinda B.”
The messages haven’t stopped there, with plenty of support arriving on Instagram after the victor wrote: “Pretty special, #9.”
Former world number one and 2018 Australian Open champion Caroline Wozniacki commented: “Congrats mama!!”
Ons Jabeur and Katie Boulter message Abu Dhabi Open winner Belinda Bencic
Once ranked within the top five, Bencic has unsurprisingly fallen to outside the top 150 due to a lack of matches.
But a rise is now expected after her superb run in Abu Dhabi, which ended with a 4-6, 6-1, 6-1 comeback victory over Krueger.
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The fantastic venture also included victories over Marketa Vondrousova and top seed and defending champion Elena Rybakina.
With the success, the Tokyo Olympic gold medal winner has become the first mother to win a singles title since Elina Svitolina won in Strasbourg in May 2023.
Doubles icon Taylor Townsend continued the messages of support with the Instagram comment: “This is the best!! Congratulations my girl.”
And the reactions continued on X through Katie Boulter and Ons Jabeur, with the former saying: “What a woman” and the latter sharing heart emojis.
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