Amanda Anisimova wins Qatar Open in straight sets win over Ostapenko

Amanda Ansimova celebrates with her WTA 1000 title at the Qatar TotalEnergies Open. 

Amanda Anisimova earned her maiden WTA 1000 title at the Qatar TotalEnergies Open Saturday night. The 23-year-old defeated a deflated Jelena Ostapenko in straight sets 6-3, 6-3 on center court at the Khalifa International Tennis Complex. The American clinched her third WTA career championship and the first in three years. It came down to many double faults for the Latvian, whose performance dwindled when it counted most.  

The two finalists met in this tournament three years ago in a second-rounder that went the distance, and into the hands of Ostapenko. In this edition, the Latvian tore through the tournament, defeating the likes of Ons Jabeur and Iga Swiatek. She claimed her spot in the final without dropping a set, while the American downed top-30 players on her way to the title match. It was her first final since last season and knew that it would be tough to vie for her first championship in three years. 

Ostapenko got the ball flying, holding serve, followed by the American. After showing Ostapenko a challenging problem on serve in the third, she delivered a serve to love in the fourth, remaining firm on the scoreboard. She tied in a break in the fifth but suffered a breakback in the sixth. They returned to service holds in the following two games, with no momentum change apparent in the set. 

Anisimova made the change and broke Ostapenko in the ninth game, opening two break points for herself on double faults from her opponent. Her service for the set went smooth, holding the Latvian to a point before capping the first in 37 minutes. Five double faults came at a bad time for Ostapenko, who tallied 15 unforced errors along with it. 

The Latvian held serve to open the second set, but couldn’t do much to stop Anisimova locked in on her service game. In the third, the American attacked the open court, with winning returns that earned her the break to love. In a surprise twist, Ostapenko broke the American to love in the fourth, leaving the set’s fate unknown. As rain fell upon the court, the players competed through two games where the score remained level a three-all. Umpire Allison Hughes suspended play until the rain subsided. After a half-hour delay, the players got back into action. Ostapenko saw her serve broken quickly in the seventh, giving Anisimova the lead. 

A hard-fought service, gave the American a 5-3 stand after Ostapenko hit too many errors on the returns. It didn’t get better with Anisimova playing for the title as the Latvian reached double digits on double faults in the match. The American reached match point but needed a second attempt on a great saved point by Ostapenko. A clean cross-court backhanded winning return gave the 23-year-old a massive win in 1 hour and 21 minutes. 

Belinda Bencic wins second Abu Dhabi title

Belinda Bencic becomes a two-time champion of the Mubadala Abu Dhabi Open defeating Ashlyn Krueger in three sets.

Belinda Bencic rises again as champion at the Mubadala Abu Dhabi Open on Saturday night. The unranked Swiss star lost a tough opening set against Ashlyn Krueger to commanding the remainder of the match in a 4-6, 6-1, 6-1 victory on Stadium Court at the Zayed Sports City International Tennis Centre. It marked the first WTA title win for the new mom, who became another example of success after maternity. 

The two never faced off in competition making it a chance for the veteran to conduct the match as she wished or faced heavy opposition. The American took out seeded players Daria Kasatkina and Layla Fernandez to reach the late stages of the tournament. Her straight-sets win over Linda Noskova marked her first WTA final appearance in two years. Bencic had a full night of challenges from Elena Rybakina but controlled her destiny to return for a chance at her eighth WTA title. 

The first set was full of fights between the players as breaks opened the match. It led to four drawn-out games, with the last won by the American, giving her the lead after 67 minutes. Bencic used her tactics from previous battles and shunted Krueger out of her path in the second set. She quickly had a 4-0 run, with a double break in hand. Krueger got on the board, but a break of her serve in the seventh leveled the score for Bencic after 36 minutes. The American’s second serve proved destructive winning just one of seven from it. 

Bencic dominated again in the third, opening up a three-game lead on Krueger. The American cracked onto the scoreboard in the fourth, but it was all Bencic to the finish line. The Swiss served to love on one occasion, and after breaking Krueger for a second time in the set, she had the match within reach. Two set points were all Bencic needed to cap the night off with another 6-1 result that ended the final in 2 hours and 22 minutes. 

Bencic overpowers Rybakina in three sets at Abu Dhabi Open

Belinda Bencic celebrates a hard-earned victory against Elena Rybakina at the Mubadala Abu Dhabi Open

Belinda Bencic prevailed in a high-quality performance between the players at the Mubadala Abu Dhabi Open on Friday night. The Swiss star defeated Elena Rybakina in three sets to advance to the finals after a 3-6, 6-3, 6-4 result on Stadium Court at the Zayed Sports City International Tennis Centre. It was Bencic's first WTA final appearance after giving birth to her daughter last April. 

The two former tournament champions met for the third time and the first since a Chicago warm-up four years ago. It was where the Kazak leveled the score after losing the Olympic semifinal to the eventual gold medalist. Since her maternity leave, Bencic performed well at the Australian Open, battling hard to beat silver medalist Marketa Vondroussova. Rybakina kept her title defense alive after narrowly defeating Ons Jabeur Thursday, with another hard match at her feet, the number one seed had time to readjust. 

The 25-year-old dug in deep to her service, trading points into deuce before eventually taking it. Bencic followed suit with a comfortable hold, followed by Rybakina, who held Bencic to a point in the third. The Swiss star leveled the score, with her first ace of the match heating up to hunt down breaking Rybakina. The top seed iced Bencic in the sixth to capture the break and consolidated her service to widen the gap to three. 

Bencic served Rybakina to love in the eighth, but her efforts were cut short as the 25-year-old cruised to victory in the first set, taking it in 41 minutes. The output performances by both players were even on the numbers, but the breaks for Rybakina gave her an easy finish to the set. 

The 27-year-old made a huge statement in the second, taking control of the pace on serve. She tied in a break of Rybakina, building a three-game lead in her favor. The Kazak avoided giving Bencic the double break, but the grip of control remained in the hands of the unseeded Swiss. The two players held serve through five quick games, leading Bencic to force the defending champion to the distance after 40 minutes. It was another high level of tennis between the two, with the numbers close but the edge going to Bencic. 

She kept up the strategy that paid off in the second, breaking Rybakina then suffered a break to love in her service. The 27-year-old brushed it off with a double break and made it 3-1 on serve. She continued to march forward, with the top seed two games down after six. A critical break of serve in the seventh opened the door for Bencic to serve for the match. A good challenge for match point went to Bencic after the call of out was overturned. Both were surprised that the point went to the Swiss, who lost on two opportunities to close it out. Rybakina took her statements made in the game, breaking Bencic with a fourth straight winner. 

The 25-year-old took her surge and constructed a strong service to eat her way into Bencic’s lead. Bencic felt the pressure in her second attempt to serve out the match, denying Rybakina a point in the ninth. With three match points, the Swiss star blew one of them, but succeeded on her fourth attempt, watching a return from Rybakina land into the tramlines. It was a 2 hour and six-minute fight for the 27-year-old, who dug in and held her success against another top ten player. “I worked really hard to come back,” said Bencic during her on-court interview. “It was not an easy road, and I’m so excited that the results are coming so fast. It still doesn’t mean the work is over, and I’m happy that it's working on the court.”

Bencic will face Ashlyn Krueger on Saturday in their first meeting, with a second potential title in the tournament on the line for the Swiss.