"It was very tough" – Belinda Bencic gets emotional recalling daughter Bella's birth and her stunning comeback after Indian Wells win

Belinda Bencic has had an extraordinary comeback to professional tennis after her maternity break. In the second round at the ongoing Indian Wells Masters, the Swiss stunned 17th seed Amanda Anisimova in a two-hour twenty-four-minute, three-set battle.

Bencic gave birth to her daughter Bella in April last year and had taken a break from the sport in September 2023. She made her return in October 2024, participating in various WTA 125 level tournaments and also participated in the United Cup.

The former World No. 4 impressed everyone with her performances at the 2025 Australian Open, advancing to the fourth round of the Grand Slam, defeating notable players such as Naomi Osaka and Jelena Ostapenko before losing to Coco Gauff.

Following a small hiccup at Dubai, where she lost to Emma Navarro in the second round, Belinda Bencic continues her impressive comeback at the Indian Wells. Despite losing the second set, she didn't lose her grip over the game. She won the first set 6-4 before a gritty comeback by Anisimova, who won the second set 7-6(3). The Swiss was clinical in the third set, clinching the set and the match with a 6-1 blow.

After the match in an on-court interview, Bencic reflected on her remarkable comeback after her pregnancy. She said:

“Yeah, for sure I am very surprised. I really love being a mom, by the way, happy women’s day to all the women superheroes. And I am definitely surprised as well, you know, I really didn’t try to put myself under pressure, putting a timing on my comeback. I really wanted to enjoy it and obviously was physically very tough, it took a lot of hard work, but love traveling with Bella at the moment,” Belinda Bencic said.

“Then it's just much different to play a match now, you know, I am enjoying myself much more. Just love to be here with my family, so thanks guys, also playing in front of you is amazing. I am really happy after last year that we missed this tournament that we are back,” she added.

One of the key takeaways from the match was the number of double faults conceded by Anisimova (eight), which put the American in extreme pressure. Bencic seemingly took advantage of it by completely overpowering her second serve, winning almost 65% of points on American’s second serve.

This season, Belinda Bencic also clinched her first WTA tour title after two years in Abu Dhabi. On her way to the title, she comfortably defeated seasoned opponents such as Veronika Kudermetova [6-0, 6-0], Marketa Vondrousova [7-5, 6-3]. The biggest highlight of the tournament was Bencic's win against top seeded Elena Rybakina in the semifinal. This was followed by the Swiss getting past Ashlyn Krueger in the championship match.

Benic was ranked No. 387 when she returned to the tour at the United Cup, but after a stellar run so far, she is now ranked No. 58.

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Belinda Bencic to face Diana Shnaider in the third round at Indian Wells

Belinda Bencic at the BNP Paribas Open - Source: Getty

Belinda Bencic will clash against young talented left-hander Diana Shnaider in the third round at the BNP Paribas Open on Monday. Shnaider, seeded 13th, received the first round bye and got past Alycia Parks 6-1, 6-1.

In contrast to Bencic, Shnaider has had an underwhelming start to her year, facing early exits in several tournaments. The Russian entered Californian hardcourts on the back of a Round of 16 exit at the ATX Open in Austin.

Meanwhile, the Indian Wells Masters has not been too fruitful for Bencic as she has only made one semifinal appearance (2019) in eight appearances at the tournament. This will be the first time Bencic and Shnaider will face each other on tour and a win here could further solidify the former's inspiring return to the top of the game.