Belinda Bencic scored a first-round win at the 2026 Ningbo Open on Tuesday when Jeļena Ostapenko was forced out of their WTA 500 opener. The 24th-ranked Latvian pulled out while trailing 6-3, 1-1, sending the 14th-ranked Swiss into the Round of 16.
Ostapenko Needs Medical Timeout Before Exiting in Ningbo
Bencic seized control of the opener, jumping out to 3-0 before Ostapenko clawed back to 3-2. Still, the Swiss star steadied with another decisive break to close out the set.
Ostapenko, who reached the Wuhan semifinals just a week earlier, showed signs of physical discomfort during the first set. At one point, she needed a medical timeout to have her vitals and blood pressure checked. After holding serve to start the second, the Latvian called things off.
Bencic Earns Needed Win in Asian Swing
The result snaps a rough stretch for Bencic, who dropped consecutive matches at WTA 1000 events in Beijing and Wuhan before arriving in Ningbo. It also gives her the lead in the series against Ostapenko, 3-1.
Despite the abrupt finish, the win positions her in a loaded section of the draw. She now has a potential quarterfinal with world No. 1 Elena Rybakina. First, however, she'll have to get past Poland's Katarzyna Kawa.
