The longest match duration of this season was set in Ningbo, with netizens joking that Bencic’s mood swings brought a surprising twist.

Is the Chinese season the site where records are born as the 2025 season nears its end? Many people have given a positive answer!

Monaco’s grassroots player Vacherot soared to fame by winning the Shanghai Masters, creating a Shanghai legend still enthusiastically discussed, and the newly begun Ningbo 500 has once again let fans and netizens witness the "WTA’s longest match of this season" record.

In the match between the 6th seed, Swiss star Bencic, and qualifier Starodubtseva, both betting odds and many fans and netizens predicted a straightforward victory for Bencic, expecting a clean two-set sweep without surprises.

However, from the very first set, that unexpected outcome unfortunately came true for some.

After Bencic lost the first set 5-7 and became the player under the greatest pressure in the match, seeing Starodubtseva’s momentum seemingly overwhelming the Swiss star, many in the live broadcast room started worrying if a major upset would happen to Bencic at Ningbo.

Although the match was not one-sided, which delighted the watching fans and netizens, Bencic’s supporters certainly did not share that joy.

Seeing Starodubtseva fight Bencic with almost an electrified intensity, many worried whether the Swiss star could withstand such pressure, fearing she might follow the upset paths of Raducanu, Vondrousova, and Tauson.

Fortunately, at a critical moment, Bencic showed the strength of an Olympic gold medalist from Tokyo, overcoming the crisis with a 6-4 second set, and despite a tough final set, she ultimately sealed the victory 7-5 with her big heart and steadier performance, narrowly avoiding a shocking upset that made many break into a cold sweat.

After this match, Bencic probably did not expect that her hard-fought 3 hour 33 minute victory would set a new tennis record: the longest WTA match of this season.

Previously, this record was held by Gauff and Zheng Qinwen!

Earlier this year, when the two met in the Rome 1000 semifinals, Zheng Qinwen’s determination to avenge for the year-end finals and her comfort on clay courts made the match intensely competitive from the start, thrilling fans and netizens who called it one of the most exciting WTA tour battles.

Unfortunately, Zheng Qinwen lost after a tough three-set battle, but that 3 hour 32 minute match set the longest WTA match duration record for the season at the time.

It was thought that the record jointly set by Zheng and Gauff would stand for a while, but surprisingly, before the 2025 Chinese season ended, Bencic and Starodubtseva broke it together in Ningbo.

Having secured a quarterfinal spot in Ningbo and set a new record, one would expect Bencic to have fans and netizens cheering loudly, but many expressed that this new record set by the Swiss star was not something to celebrate.

Although Bencic had shown mood swings on court before becoming a mother, many believed that motherhood and responsibility would help her better manage emotions; unexpectedly, it seems to have intensified. As one netizen put it, Bencic’s recent moodiness has become routine, making her seem less like a mature mother and more like a rebellious teenager whose emotions flare up suddenly.

In fact, many felt after the match against Starodubtseva that Bencic could have won in straight sets without the three-set battle. If she hadn’t lost her temper in the first set, she wouldn’t have dropped it and put herself under such immense pressure.

As the first to break serve in the opening set and leading 5-4, everyone expected Bencic to close out the set easily. But after losing her serve in the game to win the set, she began complaining, losing her mental balance and focus, which naturally led to dropping the first set.

Even more frustrating was that during the set break, Bencic kept arguing with the umpire.

Fortunately, from the second set onward, the Swiss star realized the seriousness of the situation and regained focus, enabling her to complete the comeback. Otherwise, even if she had been upset, many would have said she needed to reflect on herself after the match.

Therefore, this longest match record of the season has been humorously attributed by fans and netizens to “all thanks to Bencic’s mood swings.” This unexpected episode greatly motivated Starodubtseva, and as Bencic struggled, the new record was born, snatching the title from Rome to Ningbo!(Source: Tennis Home, Author: Moonlit Starry Sky)