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.