Belinda Bencic continues to dominate in Angers, reaching a final after her maternity leave

Former world No. 4 Belinda Bencic was one of the notable absences from the 2024 WTA Tour, having taken a break due to her pregnancy and the birth of her first daughter, Bella, in April this year. The Swiss player will face Alycia Parks in the WTA 125 Angers final, seeking the title.

Bencic chose not to wait until 2025 to return to the courts and is using the final part of this season to compete in a few tournaments, helping her prepare for the upcoming year while also earning valuable ranking points to secure a more comfortable position.

Since her comeback in late October, she has played an ITF tournament, a W75, and a WTA 125—events of a lower level than she usually competes in. However, they have provided her with important points and, more importantly, a chance to regain competitive rhythm for next season. Bencic has secured seven wins and just one loss so far, with this week being her most impressive, as she has dominated every match.

On her way to the final, she has conceded an average of just 3.5 games per match and hasn’t dropped a set, including wins over former top-50 players Oceane Dodin and Patricia Maria Tig. Reaching the Angers final has already lifted her 432 spots in the live rankings to world No. 481. If she wins the title, she will rise to No. 399. Next week, she is also set to compete at the Open BLS de Limoges, also in France.

Her final challenge will be against Alycia Parks, another player looking to rediscover her top form. Parks has won 12 of her last 15 matches and recently secured her return to the top 100 after defeating Germany’s Mona Barthel in the semifinals.

The final could easily pass for a higher-level tournament showdown. Bencic and Parks have faced each other once before, in the second round of the WTA 1000 Montreal Open. In a tightly contested match, Bencic, who was world No. 11 at the time, emerged victorious 6-3, 5-7, 6-4