Dubai Duty Free Tennis Championships: Belinda Bencic Wins Her Third WTA Crown

As the dream run of defeating top ten tennis players continued for the Swiss, Belinda Bencic on the courts of the Middle East, she faced the World Number four, Petra Kvitova in the final of the Dubai Duty Free Tennis Championships. Bencic dethroned the defending champion, Elina Svitolina in yesterday’s turbulent semifinal, she maintained the momentum at the beginning of the final match.

Bencic grabbed the opening break in the first set and kept her lead alive throughout the first set. As Kvitova double-faulted that gave rise to a set point to Bencic, without wasting any time the Swiss slammed a breathtaking backhand winner and sealed the opening first 6-3. The Czech, Kvitova was not distressed about dropping the opening set.

This week twice she came back from a set down and commenced the second set by taking her first break of the match. The second seed, Kvitova was maintaining her flair of tennis, she was celebrating on points she won and not worrying much on the ones she lost. Playing the balls at difficult angles and placing them on the unreachable zones of Bencic’s court, Kvitova took the second set 6-1 and by breaking the Swiss four times.

Nevertheless, the 21-year-old, Bencic emulating the composure of her compatriot Roger Federer, she returned with her spirits in the third set and took three games in a row. As Kvitova hit a wide forehand beyond the baseline the Swiss held the break and got a chance to serve for the World Number 23 position on the WTA scale. Bencic gained the first championship point after one hour and 42 minutes and as Kvitova placed the ball beyond the baseline on the second championship point, Bencic became the first Swiss woman in 19 years after Martina Hingis to lift the Dubai Duty Free Tennis Championships trophy in UAE as she defeated Kvitova 6-3, 1-6, 6-2.

This week, the Swiss woman defeated four top-ten women on the WTA list at the Emirati event. Bencic saved six match points against the World Number nine, Aryna Sabalenka and was a set down against World Number two Simona Halep and usurped the two-time Dubai champion, World Number seven, Elina Svitolina.