Bencic Wins 10th Career Title Against Noskova in Tokyo

Belinda Bencic won the final of the WTA 500 tournament in Tokyo against Linda Noskova.

This Sunday, the last two players standing met for the title in the Japanese capital. Bencic, world number 13, faced Noskova, ranked 17th by the WTA, in a duel between two top 20 players.

The two had never faced each other before, which added even more spice to a match that promised to be close. The Czech player hadn't spent much time on court in recent days, as Kalinskaya retired at the start of the second set in the quarter-finals, while Rybakina withdrew before the semi-final.

Yet, it was Bencic who dominated this match. Effective on serve (6 aces, 0 double faults), the Swiss player also capitalized on her opponent's difficulties in this area (6 double faults) to break Noskova four times in five return games in the first set.

This scenario cooled the Czech's ardor, who never found the key. Despite a tighter second set where both players were a bit more solid on their service games, it was ultimately Bencic who had the final say with a decisive break at 4-3, confirmed immediately on her own serve.

Mentally strong, the gold medalist from the 2021 Tokyo Olympics saved all seven break points she faced in the second set and was able to let her joy erupt after a final winning forehand (6-2, 6-3 in 1h21).

Bencic wins the 10th title of her career, and the second of her season after winning the title in Abu Dhabi at the very start of the year. This triumph allows her to rise to world number 11, ten years after losing the final of this same tournament to Radwanska.

As for Noskova, she has now lost five of the six finals she has contested. After her losses in the finals in Prague and Beijing this year, the 20-year-old player will have to wait before winning her second title, having lifted the trophy at the WTA 500 in Monterrey in 2024.