Mubadala World Tennis Championship: Ons Jabeur becomes first Arab to win title in Abu Dhabi after downing Belinda Bencic

Ons Jabeur got the better of Belinda Bencic 4-6, 6-3, [10-8] to win the Mubadala World Tennis Championship on Thursday.

Bencic started the match strongly and didn't face a single break point in her first four service games. Jabeur, on the other hand, struggled on serve in the first set. However, her deft touch and drop shots frequently got her out of trouble.

The Swiss was the first to make a breakthrough as she went 5-3 up in the opener, but faltered while trying to close out the set as Jabeur broke back immediately.

The Tunisian's joy was shortlived as she lost serve once again to concede the first set 6-4. That didn't deter her, though, as she upped her level in the second set to win five straight games. Frequently baiting Bencic towards the net with her drop shots and then finishing the point with a lob, the wily Jabeur spun a web that her opponent found hard to get out of.

Serving for the second set, it was Jabeur's turn to falter as Bencic started to stage a comeback, winning three games in a row. But the Olympic gold medalist dropped her serve once again at 3-5, allowing Jabeur to level proceedings.

Jabeur raced to a 3-0 lead in the ensuing super tie-break and held on to it until she eventually found herself holding three match points at 9-6. Bencic saved the first after managing to return a difficult drop shot by Jabeur and the second with a crosscourt winner.

However, Jabeur finally triumphed on her third match point. The two women shared a warm embrace at the net after the hard-fought contest.

Ons Jabeur ends the year on a positive note

Ons Jabeur at the 2021 BNP Paribas Open.

Jabeur enjoyed a career-best season in 2021, as she became the first Arab player to reach the top 10 of the WTA rankings. She also won her maiden title at the Birmingham Open along with reaching her second Grand Slam quarterfinal at Wimbledon.

An injury forced her to skip the last few events of the year, but ending 2021 with a win should fill her with confidence ahead of the Australian Open in January.