Belinda Bencic will play Sunday (on RTSsport from 1:30 p.m.) her second final of the year, following her title won in Adelaide. In Abu Dhabi, the St-Welshwoman took the measure of the Brazilian Beatriz Haddad Maia (WTA 14) 6-2 6-3 in the semi-finals and will face the Russian Liudmila Samsonova (WTA 19).
The road to a possible 8th title went through a revenge once morest Beatriz Haddad Maia, this left-hander who had beaten her last year in Toronto and who, above all, had eliminated the Wimbledon champion and Melbourne finalist Elena Rybakina the day before.
Facing the Brazilian, Bencic made a masterful copy. After conceding the first break point of the game, she imposed her game to take the lead. She no longer left the slightest opening to her rival who was to win only 11 points on the relaunch over the whole match.
“Work Pays”
With this 11th victory since the start of the year, the St-Galloise asserts herself with Australian champion Aryna Sabalenka as the player to beat in 2023. A player who has been transformed since training with Dmitry Tursunov. “Hard work in training pays off in competition. I didn’t think we might reap the fruits of our efforts so quickly, souligne Belinda Bencic. But that doesn’t mean we’re going to slow down.“
Belinda Bencic is therefore ready to continue with this final on Sunday in Abu Dhabi and the Doha tournament next week where she should cross paths with world No. 1 Iga Swiatek in the quarter-finals. The Polish is also the only one to have beaten her this year with Aryna Sabalenka…
ats/nm
