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BENCIC SWEARS BY MISO IN TOKYO WIN
The Straits Times
|October 27, 2025
Swiss credits Japanese soup for helping her recover and claim second title of the season
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Belinda Bencic said she surprised even herself by winning a second title of the season in Tokyo on Oct 26, a year after returning to tennis from having a baby.
The Swiss beat the Czech Republic’s Linda Noskova 6-2, 6-3 in the Pan Pacific Open final, following up her success at the Abu Dhabi Open in February.
Bencic gave birth to a daughter in April 2024 and returned to the WTA Tour six months later.
The 28-year-old said she did not expect her comeback to “go this fast and this well”.
“I’m really enjoying my time back on tour and I think it’s showing in the results,” she said.
“I couldn’t be more happy and I’m definitely surprised. This was definitely not planned.”
Bencic was ranked 421st in the world at the start of the season, but has climbed to world No. 13 and is projected to rise even higher after her Tokyo win.
It gave her the 10th WTA career title and came 10 years after she last appeared in the Pan Pacific final, where she lost to Poland’s Agnieszka Radwanska.
This story is from the October 27, 2025 edition of The Straits Times.
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