Belinda benci

Billie Jean King Cup Playoffs: Less than four months after her return from maternity leave, Belinda Bencic made history by winning the singles title in the Abu Dhabi Open to become the first mother since 2023 to win a singles title on the WTA Tour. In a hard-fought final, Bencic defeated Ashlyn Krueger 4-6, 6-1, 6-1, coming back from losing the first set to capture the WTA 500 title on Saturday.

Bencic, the former World No. 4 and Tokyo Olympics gold medalist, took 2 hours and 23 minutes to pull off a come-from-behind victory, in just her fourth tour-level event since she gave birth to her daughter Bella in April 2024.

Switzerland's Bencic thus became the first mother to claim a WTA singles title since Elina Svitolina hoisted the champion's trophy at Strasbourg in May of 2023. "Obviously big emotions, of course," Bencic said, after her win. "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."