Sofia Kenin saves three championship points to lift Mallorca crown

Sofia Kenin captured her second WTA singles title of the season on Sunday, saving three championship points before overcoming Belinda Bencic, 6-7 (2), 7-6 (5), 6-4, in the Mallorca Open final.

"This was such a tough match. I'm so happy we got to share the court together. I hope we'll have many more finals to come," Kenin said to Bencic in her on-court speech.

Kenin was appearing in her third final this year, following a title run in Hobart and runner-up effort in Acapulco. She reached the round of 16 at a major for the first time at Roland Garros, where she stunned 23-time Grand Slam champion Serena Williams in the third round. She later fell in three sets to eventual French Open winner Ashleigh Barty.

Having denied Bencic the Mallorca trophy three times in the second set, with the Swiss serving at 5-4, Kenin battled back to level the title match at one-set all. The 20-year-old stepped up on her serve in a clinical third-set display, winning 20 of 24 points. She broke Bencic in the ninth game to give herself a chance to serve out the match, which she did to wrap up the victory in two hours and 42 minutes.

Bencic was seeking her first grass-court crown since 2015, when she triumphed in Eastbourne. This season's Dubai champion ranks second only to Barty with 32 match wins in 2019. In the semifinals, Bencic took out current Wimbledon titlist Angelique Kerber.