Belinda Bencic‘S Abu Dhabi’s title defense came to a frustrating end before it ever started, as the Swiss star was forced to do withdraw from the tournament due to illness.
As the reigning champion and No. 1 seed, Bencic would open her campaign directly in the second round after receiving a bye. She was due to face Britain’s Sonay Kartal on Wednesday, but just before the match was due to start, tournament officials confirmed that Bencic would not come to court due to health problems.
“I tried desperately to be ready to play, but today it finally became clear that I couldn’t,” the two-time Abu Dhabi champion explained on Instagram.
The 28-year-old has an impeccable 9–0 record at the event and has long described it as one of her favorite stops on the tour. Moreover, the timing could hardly be worse: After recently climbing back into the Top 10 and starting the week at No. 9, she will now lose the 500 points she earned from winning the title last year, a drop that will push her out of the Top 10 when the new rankings are released.
Bencic will now turn her focus to recovery, hoping the illness proves short-lived so she can return to action at the WTA 1000 event in Doha next week.
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