Mubadala Abu Dhabi Open: Bencic comes from behind to win title
The Swiss needed three sets to beat Russia’s Liudmila Samsonova
Belinda Bencic at the 2023 Australian Open
Image Credit: Imago / Panoramic
Swiss Belinda Bencic, the second seed, lifted the Mubadala Abu Dhabi Open trophy by edging out Russian Liudmila Samsonova, the No 8 seed, 1-6, 7-6 (8), 6-4 on Sunday.
Bencic, ranked No 9, defeated Ukrainian wildcard Marta Kostyuk (6-4, 7-5), American qualifier Shelby Rogers (7-6 (5), 6-2) and Brazilian Beatriz Haddad Maia, the No 6 seed (6-2, 6-3) earlier in the tournament.
In the previous rounds, Samsonova, ranked No 19, beat American lucky loser Claire Liu (3-6, 6-2, 6-0), Czech Barbora Krejcikova (7-5, 7-6 (6)), No 4 seed Veronika Kudermetova (6-3, 6-3) and Chinese Qinwen Zheng (6-4, 1-6, 6-4).