Belinda Bencic is getting better and better. At the WTA 500 tournament in Adelaide, she wins against world number 14 Anna Kalinskaya. The Russian had to retire after losing the opening set.
07.01.2025, 09:50
07.01.2025, 10:32
SDA
Bencic (WTA 421) secured her twelfth win in her fifteenth match in the South Australian metropolis since returning to the professional tour in October, by far her most valuable. Previously, Japan's Moyuka Uchijima (WTA 62) was the highest-ranked player she had defeated in the Adelaide qualifiers.
The 27-year-old from eastern Switzerland got off to a dream start against the Russian Kalinskaya, who is a year younger. She took her opponent's serve in the very first game and followed it up with a second break to make it 5:2. Jannik Sinner's girlfriend then had to be nursed back to health, apparently due to circulation problems. A little later, Bencic took the first set at the fourth attempt.
After Bencic got the next break right at the start of the second set, the Russian threw in the towel after 49 minutes. Nevertheless, the Swiss can be very satisfied with her form.
Bencic became the mother of her daughter Bella last April. Now the 2021 Olympic champion and former world number four seems to be well on her way back to her old strength. She will at least return to the top 300 in the WTA rankings. She will face another Russian, Ludmilla Samsonova (WTA 26), in the round of 16. Thanks to a protected ranking, she is directly in the main draw for the Australian Open, which begins on Sunday.
