Belinda Bencic closed a testing week at the Toray Pan Pacific Open by defeating Linda Noskova 6-2, 6-3 in the final.

The victory arrives a decade after Bencic finished runner-up at the same WTA 500 event in 2015, when she lost to Agnieszka Radwanska, 6-2, 6-2. This is her 10th WTA title and her second since returning to the tour as a mom late last year, following a WTA 500 triumph earlier this season in Abu Dhabi. It is also a second career title in Tokyo for Bencic, who won the Olympic gold medal at the Tokyo Games held in 2021.

Bencic’s path to the final was far from straightforward. In the quarterfinals she survived a match point to beat Karolina Muchova 3-6, 7-5, 7-5 in a contest that lasted three hours and eight minutes. She then prevailed in a three-set semifinal against Sofia Kenin, 7-6 (5), 3-6, 6-2.

The grit from those contests carried into the final, where Bencic saved all 10 break points she faced and converted three of six break opportunities. The match lasted one hour and 21 minutes as she controlled key moments to close out the straight-sets victory.

“I feel very welcome to play here in Japan,” Bencic told the crowd afterwards. “It’s been a very beautiful time for me throughout all my career, and I’m very honored to be a champion listed among all these legends who won this tournament before.”

The event’s roll call of past champions includes Billie Jean King, Margaret Court, Martina Navratilova, Steffi Graf, Martina Hingis, Lindsay Davenport, Maria Sharapova and Naomi Osaka.

After returning from maternity leave unranked last October and beginning the 2025 season at No. 421, Bencic is now projected to rise to No. 11 following her triumph in Tokyo.

Elena Rybakina advanced to the quarterfinals of the Toray Pan Pacific Open on Thursday, defeating Leylah Fernandez 6-4, 6-3 in the second round of the WTA 500 event. The straight-sets win moved Rybakina into the last eight in Tokyo and put her on the brink of qualifying for the season-ending WTA Finals.

If Rybakina reaches the semifinals in Tokyo she will become the eighth and final qualifier for the 2025 WTA Finals in Riyadh. That means she needs one more victory at the Toray Pan Pacific Open to secure her place among the elite eight.

On Friday she is scheduled to face Victoria Mboko for a spot in the semifinals. A win over Mboko would confirm Rybakina’s entry to the Finals in Riyadh. Should Mboko prevail, Mirra Andreeva would instead become the tournament’s final qualifier for the year-end event.

Seven players have already clinched places at the WTA Finals: Aryna Sabalenka, Iga Swiatek, Coco Gauff, Amanda Anisimova, Madison Keys, Jessica Pegula and Jasmine Paolini. With the Finals set to begin in nine days, Rybakina’s next match carries immediate qualification implications as well as the usual prize and ranking goals associated with a WTA 500 event.

Rybakina moved through her second-round match with controlled aggression, closing out both sets to reach the quarterfinal stage. The upcoming match against Mboko will determine whether she converts that momentum into a trip to Riyadh or leaves the final qualifying spot in contention for Andreeva. The outcome in Tokyo will resolve the last open position for the eight-player WTA Finals field.