SWISS star Belinda Bencic needed three sets, but the wildcard got the job done against American Ashlyn Krueger to secure her ninth WTA Tour title, and first as a mother. Bencic made a remarkable fast-tracked return since her maternity leave, starting in the lower ITF ranks, and now winning a WTA 500 title within six months.

Her victory over Kreuger was dominant after the first set which she dropped 6-4, before only dopping two more games in a comprehensive 4-6 6-1 6-1 victory in two hours and 22 minnutes., She broke eight times to four and played a consistent rate throughout the match.

The first set was an epic battle that went for 67 minutes, though it was more two nervous players who neither seemed to want to win it easily. Krueger served 10 double faults and won just 28 per cent of her second serve points, while being broken three times in five games. However Bencic hit18 unforced errors to just eight winners, and only won a poor 38 per cent of her first serve points.

Despite not being convincing, the American came away with the early advantage, hitting 23 winners to 28 unforced errors, though 10 of the latter being double faults. Bencic actually lead 4-3 at one stage coming off a strong break, until Krueger broke twice in the last three games to steal the win.

However the second set resulted in Bencic winning the first four games and then aside from the American holding in the fifth game, the Swiss wildcard broke again in the last of that set to win it 6-1 and send the match to a decider.

Once again Bencic grabbed an early lead to win the first three games, batting away three break point opportunities for Kreuger in the third game, then held more comfortably twice more with a second break of service in the sixth game to secure another 6-1 set and the overall victory.

Bencic’s second set was a thing of beauty, smashing 14 winners to just three unforced errors, while Krueger fell in a hole with the same amount of winners, but 15 unforced errors. Though the American did not make as many double faults (just one), she only converted one of seven second serve points, and won half of her first serve points compared to Bencic’s 13/18 (72 per cent).

The third set was not much better for Kreuger, going into her shell and making mistakes with eight winners to 15 unforced errors, while Bencic maintained her dominance, hitting nine winners to just four unforced errors. That made it 23 winners to seven unforced errors in the last two sets, while winning 33 of 46 (71.7 per cent) on serve.

Bencic admitted she stepped it up in the last two sets, and saw her daughter there in the deciding one that motivated her further.

“Obviously big emotions, of course,” Bencic said post-match. “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 Bella there in the third set.

“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. “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.”

The first mother to win a WTA Tour tournament since 2023, Bencic won this title that same year and moved to 9-0 in Abu Dhabi, while receiving a massive 92-ranking boost from the victory moving up to 65th in the world. She is also fifth in the live race to the WTA Finals. Her win made history as the lowest ranked player (157th) to win that tier title.