Number one seed Belinda Bencic forced to withdraw from title defence at Abu Dhabi Open due to illness

Belinda Bencic has been forced to withdraw from her title defence in the Abu Dhabi Open due to illness. The fortunate Renata Zarazua will be her replacement in the last-16 matchup against Sonay Kartal.

It is a disappointing turn of events for the world number nine, who started the year so positively. She led Switzerland out of the United Cup group phase for the first time all the way to the final without losing a singles or doubles tie. This incredible streak was halted when taking on Poland, with her country unable to topple the former runners-up as they clinched glory Down Under.

Following that, it was a very frustrating Australian Open campaign where Bencic lost in the second round in a surprising result to 19-year-old qualifier Nikola Bartunkova.

She was hoping to get back in the swing of things with a positive title defence in Abu Dhabi, the first title she won as a mum since her return in 2025. However, this will not play out like she would have hoped with illness preventing her return to the court.

It is a race to be fit for the rest of the Middle East swing with some big tournaments on the horizon, lending itself to huge opportunities to collect a huge heap of points. The Qatar Open and Dubai Duty Free Tennis Championships are right around the corner, with the first two WTA 1000 events of the year a huge chance for Bencic as she looks to cement her spot in the top 10 in the world.