Reigning Olympic champion Belinda Bencic defeated Ons Jabeur to claim the Charleston Open singles championship after a gripping 2-hour and 35-minute final on Sunday.
Belinda Bencic grabbed her sixth WTA Tour title, as the No.10 seed from Switzerland outlasted No.4 seed Ons Jabeur of Tunisia 6-1, 5-7, 6-4 in a gripping championship match on the green clay.
Appearing in just her first career clay-court final, Bencic fought through a back-and-forth third set before clinching the trophy after a gruelling play that lasted over two-and-a-half hours.
Bencic is the first Swiss woman to triumph at the prestigious WTA 500 event since former World No.1 Martina Hingis captured the crown in 1999.
Before this week, Bencic was just 1-4 against Top 10 opposition on clay, but she added two Top 10 wins in Charleston against Paula Badosa in the quarterfinals and Jabeur today.
In doubles, No.4 seeds Andreja Klepac and Magda Linette were pushed to the limit in the Credit One Charleston Open final before taking the title 6-2, 4-6, [10-7] over Lucie Hradecka and Sania Mirza.
( With inputs from ANI )
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