TOKYO — Belinda Bencic defeated Linda Noskova 6-2, 6-3 in the WTA Pan Pacific Open final for her 10th career title.
Ten years after she last reached the Tokyo final, Bencic dominated her Czech rival throughout Sunday’s final, breaking Noskova’s serve three times along the way to cruise to victory in an hour and 22 minutes.
Tokyo is the latest happy memory for the Swiss, who won singles gold and doubles silver at the Tokyo Olympics four years ago.
Bencic said after the game, “It was great to play in front of everyone.” “The last time we won here was at the Tokyo Olympics, and there were no fans, so the atmosphere was completely different, but it was great to play in front of everyone. I love playing in Japan, so I’m very happy to finally win this tournament.”
Bencic, who faced Sofia Kenin in the quarterfinals and semifinals and won consecutive three-set matches, spent 5 hours and 23 minutes on court over the past two days, and it was a draining battle ahead of the final.
Noskova, on the other hand, was on court for only 35 minutes in the quarterfinals and semifinals in Tokyo, coming through a retirement and a walkover at the WTA Finals when Elena Rybakina withdrew from the semifinals due to back problems.