Ten years after finishing as a teenage runner-up in Tokyo, Belinda Bencic completed a full-circle milestone by winning the Pan Pacific Open to capture her 10th career WTA singles title. Characterizing her victory as a real déjà vu moment,
the Swiss star capped off a memorable comeback season driven by competitive composure and the endurance required to withstand the demands of top-tier professional tennis.
Bencic's elevation in the WTA Race standings alongside emerging competitors like Linda Noskova coincided with Elena Rybakina securing the final spot for the WTA Finals. The triumph in Tokyo marks yet another resurgence for Bencic, whose decade on tour has featured major tournament victories interrupted by long recovery periods and significant ranking drops.
Early Development and Rapid Tour Entry
Born on March 10, 1997, in Flawil, Switzerland, to Slovak parents who emigrated in 1968, Bencic began playing tennis at age three. Under the early guidance of her father and training at the academy run by Melanie Molitor—mother of former World No. 1 Martina Hingis—she established a strong foundation in youth competition. By 2011, Bencic reached the top of the ITF Junior rankings after winning the Czech International Junior Indoor title at age 14.
Her transition to the professional ranks moved quickly after turning pro in 2012. Following her WTA main draw debut against Venus Williams in Luxembourg, Bencic earned her first WTA match victory at the 2013 Pan Pacific Open against Daria Gavrilova. Her 2014 season established her as one of the tour's brightest young players:
- Australian Open: Reached the second round at age 16 before falling to eventual champion Li Na.
- Family Circle Cup: Qualified as a 17-year-old and advanced to her first WTA semifinal.
- US Open: Reached her first Grand Slam quarterfinal, breaking into the top 35.
- WTA Newcomer of the Year: Reached her first WTA final at Tianjin against Alison Riske, ending the year ranked World No. 33.
Breakthrough Titles and Major Setbacks
Bencic reached new heights in 2015. She captured her first WTA singles title at Eastbourne by defeating Agnieszka Radwanska, then claimed the biggest trophy of her career at the Rogers Cup. Her title run featured victories over World No. 1 Serena Williams in the semifinals and World No. 3 Simona Halep in the final, propelling her ranking to No. 12. Early in 2016, a runner-up finish to Roberta Vinci at St. Petersburg pushed Bencic into the top 10 at just 18 years old.
Physical setbacks soon interrupted her momentum. A back injury disrupted her 2016 clay season, and left wrist surgery in 2017 sidelined her for four months, dropping her world ranking to No. 312. Forced to rebuild her ranking on the lower-tier circuit, Bencic won two $125,000 events in Asia to return to the top 100. She then partnered with Roger Federer to win back-to-back Hopman Cup titles for Switzerland in 2018 and 2019.
blockquote>Federer praised Bencic's exceptional ability to return serve, a crucial attribute that fueled her steady ascent back toward the top of the game.
blockquote>The 2019 Comeback and Tokyo Triumph
In 2019, Bencic compiled one of her finest seasons. She claimed the Dubai title by beating Halep, Elina Svitolina, and Petra Kvitova. She earned victories over World No. 1 Naomi Osaka at Indian Wells, Madrid, and again at the US Open, where she reached her maiden Grand Slam semifinal before falling to eventual champion Bianca Andreescu. A victory over Anastasia Pavlyuchenkova at the Kremlin Cup secured Bencic's spot in the WTA Finals, where she reached the semifinals and earned 2019 WTA Comeback Player of the Year honors after finishing ranked No. 8.
Her victory at the Pan Pacific Open in Tokyo brought symbolic redemption ten years after her 2015 final defeat to Radwanska. Although Bencic was subsequently forced to withdraw from her Hong Kong Open quarterfinal match, her 10th career title highlighted her enduring quality during a season marked by surprising shifts across the women's game—including Loïs Boisson's run at Roland Garros, Marketa Vondrousova defeating the world number one, and Alexandra Eala's breakthrough in Miami.
Sources
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- lionel-messi.zyns.com original
- akiagora.com original
- tenisatual.com original
