Belinda Bencic’s Abu Dhabi title defense came to a frustrating end before it ever began, as the Swiss star was forced to pull out of the tournament because of illness.
As the reigning champion and No. 1 seed, Bencic was scheduled to open her campaign directly in the second round after receiving a bye. She was set to face Great Britain’s Sonay Kartal on Wednesday, but only moments before the match was due to start, tournament officials confirmed that Bencic would not take the court due to health issues.
“I have tried desperately to be ready to play but finally today it was clear I could not,” the two-time Abu Dhabi champion explained on Instagram.
The 28-year-old boasts a flawless 9–0 record at the event and has long described it as one of her favorite stops on the tour. On top of that, the timing could hardly be worse: having recently climbed back into the Top 10 and starting the week ranked No. 9, she will now lose the 500 points she earned for 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 next week’s WTA 1000 event in Doha.