Bencic after her win over Rybakina: "I'm glad the results are coming back so quickly".

Belinda Bencic is making a stunning comeback on the WTA Tour. After returning from pregnancy at the end of last season, the 27-year-old Swiss is already back in the top 100.

Bencic, who has enjoyed a faultless run so far, eliminated defending champion and number 1 seed Elena Rybakina (3-6, 6-3, 6-4) at the WTA 500 tournament in Abu Dhabi, and will now challenge Ashlyn Krueger for the title.

A few minutes after her victory, the gold medallist at the 2021 Tokyo Olympics savoured her success.

"I'm so happy to be able to win a match like this. I worked hard to come back. It clearly wasn't an easy road, so I'm glad the results are coming back so quickly.

It doesn't mean that the work is over, I've still got a long way to go, but it's good that everything's working on the court for now, and I'm really enjoying myself.

It's never easy. The score of a tennis match is never sealed, and the match is never over until you've won match point.

My heart was beating 100 times an hour. I remembered that I was playing against Elena and that it wouldn't be easy all the way to the end.

I served twice for the match, but I'm glad I managed to stay calm at 5-4," Bencic told the WTA website.