2025 Abu Dhabi Open: Belinda Bencic stuns Elena Rybakina, sets final clash with inspired Ashlyn Krueger
WTA
The finalists for the WTA 500 Abu Dhabi Open have been determined after defending champion Elena Rybakina was eliminated by former Olympic gold medalist Belinda Bencic.
On the other side of the draw, American Ashlyn Krueger continued her inspired start to 2025, taking out young star Linda Noskova to reach her first WTA 500 final as she secured top-40 spot for the first time in her career.
Bencic stuns Rybakina to reach first final after two years
Bencic remains in top form, securing another impressive win in Abu Dhabi. It was a battle between former champions—the Swiss star, who won the 2023 edition, and Elena Rybakina, the defending champion. The Kazakh was more effective in the first set, especially in the key moments, saving all four break points she faced while converting one of two chances to take the lead.
Bencic struggled with her first serve consistency, but when she did land it, she was incredibly effective, winning 82% of points on her first serve, compared to 70% for the 2022 Wimbledon champion. The second and third sets followed a similar pattern, but this time Bencic improved her first-serve percentage from 52% in the first set to 77% in the second (61% in the third). A break early in the second set allowed her to control the set and take it 6-3.
The deciding set was a rollercoaster, with both players struggling on serve. Bencic secured two early breaks, while Rybakina recovered one. Holding a slim lead, the Swiss secured another break and had two match points at 5-2, but Rybakina attempted a late comeback, reclaiming one break. However, Bencic held her nerve to serve out the match, sealing a 3-6, 6-3, 6-4 victory.
This marks Bencic’s biggest win since her return to the Tour late last year, as well as her first top-10 victory in two years. Additionally, the Swiss star has quickly ensured her return to the top 100, achieving this feat in just three WTA Tour events and three months after coming back from her one-year maternity break.
Belinda Bencic is into her first final since 2023 🤯
— Tennis Channel (@TennisChannel) February 7, 2025
The Swiss defeated defending champion Elena Rybakina 3-6, 6-3, 6-4, and looks to win a second Abu Dhabi title! #MubadalaAbuDhabiOpen pic.twitter.com/r7eHnQkFvU
Krueger’s Breakthrough: reaches first WTA 500 final
The American’s 2025 season has been outstanding, with an 11-3 record so far. Krueger has already beaten notable players such as Anna Kalinskaya, Paula Badosa, Marta Kostyuk, and this week, Daria Kasatkina and Leylah Fernandez. Against Noskova, she once again proved that her strong form is no fluke, showing that she is ready to compete with the world’s best.
The 20-year-old American defeated her fellow 20-year-old opponent, Linda Noskova, who was slightly favored before the match. Despite both players lacking experience at this stage in a WTA 500 tournament, Krueger remained composed in key moments. After falling 2-4 behind in the first set, she broke back and fought her way into a tie-break, where she dominated with her strong serve (76% first serves in, winning 77% of those points) to take the opener 7-6(2).
In the second set, Krueger took full control, capitalizing on Noskova’s early struggles. The American secured two breaks, building a 5-1 lead. Though Noskova saved a match point and recovered one of the breaks, Krueger held firm on serve, closing out the 7-6(2), 6-4 victory to secure her first-ever WTA 500 final. With this result, Krueger is set to break into the top 40, marking a career-high ranking.
fairytale week! ✨
— wta (@WTA) February 7, 2025
Krueger defeats Noskova in straight sets to reach her FIRST WTA 500 FINAL!#MubadalaAbuDhabiOpen pic.twitter.com/PV9sSl6ZAJ
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- Bencic is all business right now. If Rybakina is the ice queen, then Bencic is Antarctica—colder, sharper, and seemingly unstoppable. 🔥❄️MrAndreeva07-02-2025
- Creepy.
mandoist07-02-2025 - Ouch!!mandoist07-02-2025
- they need to change the rules on the WTA to limit wildcards more effectively like they have on the ATPSososo06-02-2025
- This is just getting beyond ridiculous!! Not to mention unsportsmanlike and unfair to serious up & coming contenders.mandoist06-02-2025
- No, writer, we were not "stunned". If you knew your business you would have been aware of her statement last weekend re: her knee and retirement. The main take-away here is that Simona went out on her own terms. She surely wanted to play again after WTA & ITIA screwed her out of her final productive seasons. Personally, I believed she was going to make this announcement when I saw the President and his family in their box seats. Good for Simone -- now she can move on to other things as she said she would.mandoist04-02-2025
- It sounds seriously absurd that in Davis Cup, (unlike Grand Slams such as the Aus Open), medical time outs off court with the medical staff are not allowed?? I mean, if this was an Aus Open match, and the same thing happened to Gurin then, he would have been able to go off court for official medical time out and make an informed decision whether to resume the match or retire. How come such conditions do not apply in Davis Cup?? I mean, there with Davis Cup, it is even more like a soccer match or basketball game in that teams are playing. And so as with those, it ought to be the case in tennis that if a player needs serious medical time out, then one of the other team mates ought to substitute and each team needs to have stand-ins or understudies in case substitution is needed which will be rare but as we can see here, this kind of circumstance fits. But even if the teams do not go down the road of subbing other team mates in, in case of a health issue like the one which played out here, at least, as in the Aus Open and other Grand Slams, there ought to be time-outs with the health professionals and at the conclusion of these time-outs, the particular decision that has been reached between them and the player needs to be taken on board by the umpire. PERIOD.
Sueiyin04-02-2025 - "If Novak did this, he would be defaulted for life. WTF." 🤣 WTF sounds like What Tennis Fury?! What Tennis Flurry??! I mean, se-rious-ly, it was actually the unfairness of the silly umpire's decision that is the issue here! Further, how come it was Gurin & his team who got disqualified? If this kind of thing happens in soccer, it would be the other guy getting the yellow or red card! Because after all, it was the Belgian who's foul it was so why then penalize the opponents for something they didn't instigate? Fouls in both basketball and soccer are read as a hinderance that has been caused by the player who INITIALLY instigated the hinderance. In this case, okay, it is tennis, but while the precise rules are different to either soccer or basketball, the same type of recognition as to whoever instigates a hinderance should apply, and in this case, it was the Belgian player.Sueiyin04-02-2025
- Medvedev talking to his form here. "Some actual deep problem." 🤣😂🤣MrAndreeva03-02-2025
- "Hopefully, the team around her will help... " Actually, the lack thereof seems to have been part of the problem(s). Another possibility is that, while dealing with legitimate surgeries, withdrawing, and otherwise passing on events, the competition has stepped-up in intensity while she was busy with traveling, photo shoots, and TV commercials.mandoist03-02-2025
