Top seeds Swiatek and Sabalenka target glory at Dubai Tennis Championships

ABU DHABI: Belinda Bencic is through to another Mubadala Abu Dhabi Open final after coming from behind to eliminate reigning champion Elena Rybakina in a pulsating contest.

The Swiss player will now meet Ashlyn Krueger, who beat Linda Noskova in straight sets to reach Sunday’s showpiece.

Winner of the inaugural Mubadala Abu Dhabi Open in 2023, Bencic went into the semi-final against the current champion as the underdog. Rybakina, who came out on top in a three-set thriller against Ons Jabeur in the last eight, started the match in ominous fashion, quickly taking control and claiming the first set 6-3.

Bencic, having only returned to action at the tail end of last year after taking a maternity break, had grown in stature throughout the tournament and secured her passage to the semi-finals with a straight-sets win over Marketa Vondrousova.

The disappointment of falling behind, if anything, galvanized the 27-year-old, who responded brilliantly in the second set, racing into a 3-0 lead. Rybakina, in true champion style, hit back, but Bencic held on to force a decider.

Bencic looked the more dangerous of the two players and, after breaking Rybakina for a third time, found herself serving for the match.

Rybakina saved two match points before breaking her opponent’s serve to close the deficit to a single game, with the score 5-4 in favor of Bencic, who was left serving for the match once more.

This time around, she was not to be denied, seeing out the match to win 3-6, 6-3, 6-4 and book her place in the final for the second time.

Krueger’s impressive form in the tournament continued after standout wins against Daria Kasatkina and Leylah Fernandez, as she edged an entertaining clash with Noskova to reach the final.

It was a clash of the rising stars with the two players, both 20, having impressed on their way to the last four, with Noskova beating Paula Badosa and Magda Linette in straight sets.

It was the first meeting between the two players and Noskova, who won her maiden title at the Monterrey Open last August, appeared to be on course to take the first set as she led 4-2.

Krueger, however, had other ideas and fought back strongly as both women attempted to seize the initiative. It was no surprise to see the set eventually settled via a tie-break, which Krueger claimed 7-2 to take the lead.

After that Krueger grew in confidence and broke Noskova twice to take control of the second.

Despite failing to take advantage of a match point, with Noskova breaking her opponent and winning the next game on serve to bring it back to 5-4, Krueger, serving for the match, successfully sealed a 7-6, 6-4 victory and secure her first appearance in a WTA 500 final.

Jelena Ostapenko/Ellen Perez are through to the final of the doubles event after an impressive 6-3, 6-2 victory against Marketa Vondrousova/Liudmila Samsonova in the day’s opening match on Stadium Court.

They will meet Kristina Mladenovic/Shuai Zhang in tomorrow’s final after the duo defeated Olivia Nicholls/Olivia Gadecki 6-1, 6-4 in the second semi-final.

The doubles final, scheduled for 2:30 p.m., gets tomorrow’s action underway as the two pairings aim to claim the title which was won last year by Americans Bethanie Mattek-Sands and Sofia Kenin.

That match will be followed by the Krueger-Bencic singles final.

ABU DHABI: Ons Jabeur exited the Mubadala Abu Dhabi Open at the quarterfinal stage for the second consecutive year after losing a thrilling encounter against reigning champion Elena Rybakina on Thursday.

The defending champion now joins Belinda Bencic, Ashlyn Krueger and Linda Noskova in Friday’s semifinals.

The sixth meeting between Jabeur and Rybakina more than lived up to the pre-match hype. On Stadium Court they played an absolute classic that was ultimately settled by a tie-break.

Having had to come from behind to defeat Katie Volynets in the last 16, Rybakina enjoyed a far better start this time, dominating Jabeur in the first set, before the Tunisian claimed the second to set up a decisive third.

Rybakina seemed destined for victory when, leading 3-2, she broke her opponent’s serve, but Jabeur displayed nerves of steel to break back immediately and win her subsequent service game to level it 4-4.

The next four games, although back and forth, went with serve, forcing a decisive tie-break which Rybakina eventually clinched, for a 6-2, 4-6, 7-6,  victory. It brought an end to Jabeur’s involvement, much to the disappointment of her fans inside Stadium Court.

In the day’s opening quarterfinal, 2023 champion Bencic faced Marketa Vondrousova, who had already seen off Emma Raducanu and Yulia Putintseva. This was a repeat of the 2020 Tokyo Olympics final, where Bencic claimed gold.

Bencic secured her spot in the last eight courtesy of a dominant win over Veronika Kudermetova, in which she did not drop a single game, and while she eventually prevailed, Thursday’s encounter was a far sterner test.

The fact the match featured 11 breaks of serve is perhaps indicative of the disrupted rhythm of the players. But having edged in front at the start of the contest, Bencic did just enough to hold on and claim the first set 7-5.

Having returned from maternity leave last October, Bencic is slowly getting back to her best, as showcased by her performances to date in Abu Dhabi. A controlled, assured display in the second set secured a 7-5, 6-3 victory, ensuring the 27-year-old is through to the semifinals.

After producing a superb comeback to eliminate last year’s beaten finalist Daria Kasatkina in the round of 16, Krueger came out on top in a three-set thriller against 2021 US Open runner-up Leylah Fernandez to secure a first WTA 500 semifinal spot.

It was a fully deserved victory for the American, 20, who fired eight aces, including five in the opening set, which she edged 7-5.

Fernandez responded well and, despite not being at her best, highlighted by seven double faults, still produced some brilliant tennis, more than playing her part in a highly entertaining contest.

She took the second set, forcing a third, from which point on it was all about Krueger, who displayed fantastic power and technique to pull away from her opponent, eventually progressing 7-5, 4-6, 6-2.

Krueger now faces Noskova, also 20, in a battle of the rising talents. Noskova followed up yesterday’s outstanding win over Paula Badosa with another straight-sets victory, this time against Magda Linette 6-4, 6-3.