Belinda Bencic Stuns Rybakina to Reach Abu Dhabi Final; Ashlyn Krueger Sets Up First WTA 500 Final
Belinda Bencic staged a remarkable comeback to eliminate reigning champion Elena Rybakina in a thrilling semi-final at the Mubadala Abu Dhabi Open on Friday. After dropping the first set 3-6, the Swiss star rallied to win the next two sets 6-3, 6-4, securing her spot in the final for the second consecutive year.
Jaanvy Gill 
Despite being the underdog going into the match, Bencic showed resilience after falling behind. Rybakina had made a strong start, dominating the first set, but Bencic responded with an aggressive second set, racing to a 3-0 lead. The two players exchanged breaks of serve in the third, but Bencic held her nerve, breaking Rybakina for the third time to serve for the match. Though Rybakina saved two match points and briefly closed the gap to 5-4, Bencic sealed the win in the next game to book her place in the final.
Bencic's impressive run this week has been a testament to her growth since returning from a maternity break late last year. She had previously cruised through her quarter-final against Marketa Vondrousova and has shown increasing confidence throughout the tournament.
In the other semi-final, 20-year-old Ashlyn Krueger continued her stellar form by defeating Linda Noskova 7-6, 6-4 to reach her first-ever WTA 500 final. The match was a clash between two rising stars, both of whom had put together impressive runs. Krueger had defeated Daria Kasatkina and Leylah Fernandez on her way to the semis, while Noskova had earned straight-set wins over Paula Badosa and Magda Linette.
Noskova looked poised to take control after leading 4-2 in the opening set, but Krueger mounted a strong comeback, winning a tiebreak 7-2 to take the first set. In the second, Krueger remained composed, breaking Noskova twice to claim the win, despite a brief scare when Noskova fought back to make it 5-4. With her victory, Krueger has now reached the final of a prestigious WTA 500 event.
In the doubles competition, Jelena Ostapenko and Ellen Perez advanced to the final with a dominant 6-3, 6-2 victory over Marketa Vondrousova and Liudmila Samsonova. They will face Kristina Mladenovic and Shuai Zhang, who defeated Olivia Nicholls and Olivia Gadecki 6-1, 6-4 in the second semi-final.
It promises to be an exciting day of tennis on Saturday, with Bencic and Krueger battling it out for the singles title, and top doubles teams fighting for the crown.
