The inaugural Mubadala Abu Dhabi Open came to a close on Sunday with Swiss Olympic gold medalist Belinda Bencic becoming the tournament’s very first champion.
The world No. 9 put in a brave performance in the final, saving three match points late in the second set en route to a 1-6, 7-6(8), 6-4 victory over powerful Russian Liudmila Samsonova.
Here’s what we learned from the WTA 500-level event in the UAE capital. Bencic keeps rolling The week in Abu Dhabi further cemented what we already knew — that Bencic is in great form and enjoying a brilliant start to her 2023 campaign.
The 25-year-old has now won two titles in as many months — she also triumphed in Adelaide in January — and her success in the UAE has taken her to the top of the WTA match-wins leaderboard for the season, with 12 victories against just two losses.