Belinda Bencic stuns Elena Rybakina to reach Abu Dhabi final – but why did she race off court during match?

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It was a special moment for Belinda Bencic, as she downed 2022 Wimbledon champion Elena Rybakina in Abu Dhabi to reach her first WTA Tour final since returning from maternity leave. However, that was not the only surprise in store for those in attendance. During the two-hour-long encounter, Bencic had to dash courtside in an amusing moment to deal with a phone which was ringing inside her bag.

Belinda Bencic

Image credit: Getty Images

Belinda Bencic overcame Elena Rybakina in the semi-finals of the 2025 Abu Dhabi Open on Friday, reaching her first WTA Tour final since giving birth in 2024.

The former Olympic champion came from behind to seal a 3-6 6-3 6-4 victory and defeat the title-holder in a little over two hours - during which there was a crowd-pleasing moment.

Midway through the third game of the second set and already a break up, Bencic was just about to unleash a serve before she suddenly stopped and dashed courtside.

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Any confusion was quickly diminished when a loud mobile phone alarm rang from her bag - dispersing an amusingly piercing tone which would have certainly distracted her during a moment which requires great focus.

An apologetic Bencic quickly switched off the alarm before returning to the baseline to applause from the crowd.

After giving birth to her daughter Bella last April, the Swiss star returned to the professional tennis circuit in October and built up to her first Grand Slam since the US Open in 2023.

She made an impressive return in Melbourne, downing Jelena Ostapenko, Suzan Lamens and an injured Naomi Osaka before crashing out in the fourth round against Coco Gauff, but her Australian Open run set her in good stead for a crack at the title in Abu Dhabi, which she won in 2023.

"I'm so happy this is happening, for sure. I worked really hard to come back," said Bencic. "It was definitely not an easy road, and I'm so excited that the results are coming so fast.

"It still doesn't mean that the work is over, so I have a long way to go, but I'm really happy how it's working on the court. And yeah, I'm really enjoying myself on the court."

She is now just one step away from reclaiming the title, with only Ashlyn Krueger standing in her way after brushing past Rebecca Sramkova, Veronika Kudermetova, and Marketa Vondrousova.

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