TOKYO – Belinda Bencic claimed her 10th career title with a 6-2, 6-3 victory over Linda Noskova in the final of the WTA’s Pan Pacific Open.
Ten years after her previous appearance in the final of the tournament in Tokyo, Bencic dominated her Czech rival in Sunday’s final, breaking Noskova’s serve three times on her way to a comfortable victory in one hour and 22 minutes.
Tokyo has brought back recent happy memories of the Swiss winning the Olympic gold medal in singles and doubles silver in Tokyo four years ago.
“It was great to play for you,” Bencic said after the match. “The last time I won here was the Olympic Games in Tokyo, when it was an empty stadium, so it was a very different atmosphere, but it was great to play in front of you. I love playing in Japan, so I’m super happy to finally win this tournament.”
It had been an energy-consuming run to the final for Bencic, who had spent 5 hours and 23 minutes on the court over the past two days as she triumphed in the quarter-final and then semi-final against Sofia Kenin in back-to-back three-set matches.
Noskova, meanwhile, had spent just 35 minutes on court during the quarterfinals and semifinals in Tokyo, and had advanced via a retirement and walkover when WTA Finals-bound Elena Rybakina withdrew from the semifinals, citing a back problem.
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