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Belinda Bencic had to dig deep to claim the inaugural title after saving three championship points in a gripping comeback against Liudmila Samsonova Abu Dhabi Open champion.
Second seed Bencic went into Sunday’s final without losing a set, but she trailed the Russian and was on the verge of losing 6-4 in the second-set tie-break.
But the Swiss rallied and took the match to the decider, winning 1-6 7-6 (10-8) 6-4 in a frenzy of 2 hours and 48 minutes to claim her first career title. Eight WTA titles.
World No. 9 Bencic also won the Adelaide International 2 in January, but got off to a poor start against an opponent she has failed to beat in three matches.
Samsonova broke her mark with a dominant start in the opening second-and-sixth innings as she looked to take a 5-0 lead in the WTA Tour Championship.
Bencic improved in the second set, though every break meant the game was over.
Eighth-seeded Samsonova’s straight-set win with a 6-4 lead looked worthwhile, only for Bencic to salvage two championship points, also 8-7.
Three points in a row allowed the 25-year-old Olympic champion to equalize and break serve several times in the decider to win the match.
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