Bencic Masks Fitness Woes To Keep The Dubai Dream Alive

2026-02-16 02:25:35

(MENAFN- Khaleej Times) If Belinda Bencic was struggling, especially after her last-minute withdrawal from the Abu Dhabi Open due to an illness, she did well to hide her physical discomfort, presenting a warm smile and flashing the victory sign as she posed for selfies with fans.

The 28-year-old also went out of her way to oblige a male fan, holding his toddler for a delightful photograph.

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Witnessing that act of generosity from Bencic on a warm Monday afternoon was as heartwarming as seeing pictures of her holding the Abu Dhabi Open trophy and her daughter, Bella, last year.

The start of the new year should have been a celebration of her resilience, having fought back into the top 10 of the women's world rankings after a maternity break.

But the Abu Dhabi withdrawal earlier this month due to an illness pushed her out of the court.

Without adequate practice, Bencic arrived in Dubai, a tournament she had famously won in 2019, a week before her legendary compatriot Roger Federer completed his 100th career win.

But on Monday, the ninth seed was made to dig deep in the first round at the Dubai Duty Free Tennis Championships before the Swiss star fought back to complete a 2-6 6-1 6-2 victory against Jessica Bouzas of Spain.

“It was a really difficult time as I was not even able to practice properly (after Abu Dhabi Open),” Bencic said.

“So I'm just really happy I can be here and play again. I feel a lot better.”

The 2020 Olympic singles gold medallist admitted that her game is not in perfect shape at the moment.

“Obviously, I'm struggling a bit with my fitness and, of course, with ball security, you know. I don't think it was my best performance,” she said.

“But I'm just really happy that I stayed here. And it's kind of crazy how fast you lose confidence and how long it takes for you to gain it again. But for sure, I'm here to fight and gain my confidence again.”

Bencic is now bracing for another tough challenge from Sara Bejlek of the Czech Republic in the next round.

“I watched her (against Zeynep Sönmez of Turkey) yesterday; she plays really great tennis. I think she is on fire at the moment. She is very confident. So I think it's going to be a very difficult match. But I am just glad to have another chance,” she said.

While Bencic lived to fight another day, British star Emma Raducanu, the 2021 US Open champion, was knocked out of the tournament by Antonia Ružić of Croatia in a thrilling three-set battle 6-1 5-7 6-2.

Jelena Ostapenko, the 2017 French Open champion, also suffered an early exit as the Latvian slumped to a 2-6 6-1 6-4 defeat to Anna Kalinskaya of Russia.

Kalinskaya's reward is a round of 32 clash with two-time Grand Slam winner Coco Gauff of the US.

Meanwhile, Amanda Anisimova, runner-up at Wimbledon and the US Open last year, got a walkover when her first-round opponent, Barbora Krejčíková, the two-time Grand Slam winner from the Czech Republic, withdrew due to an injury.

Paula Badosa was in cruise control in the evening match as the Spaniard dismantled Katerina Siniakova of the Czech Republic 6-3 7-5.

Tuesday is going to be a star-studded affair with Australian Open champion Elena Rybakina and defending champion Mirra Andreeva opening their campaigns.

But the biggest attraction will be Filipina star Alexandra Eala, who will take on sixth-seeded Italian Jasmine Paolini for a place in the round of 16.