Former US Open champion Samantha Stosur crashed out Tuesday in the first round of the Dubai Championship 1-6, 6-2, 6-4 to Estonian Anett Kontaveit. After winning the opening set, Stosur lost the second and then trailed 2-5 in the third, reaching 4-5 but double-faulting on a Kontaveit match point to go out.
Since the start of the season, the 33-year-old Australian has lost six matches and had been forced to qualify into a tournament main draw for the first time since Zurich in 2008. Stosur was plagued by eight double faults, was broken four times and managed a single ace as she lost in an hour and three-quarters at the Aviation Club. American CiCi Bellis advanced past Belgium's Australian Open semi-finalist Elise Mertens 6-3, 6-3 while Wang Qiang of China beat Kiki Bertens 6-3, 6-0 in 55 minutes.
Spain's Carla Suarez Navarro beat Russia qualifier Sofya Zhuk 6-2, 6-2. Wild card Bellis, a 2017 quarter-finalist here, earned a date with second seed and current Wimbledon winner Garbine Muguruza a week after beating US Open finalist Madison Keys and Karolina Pliskova in Qatar. "I've never played her before. It's definitely going to be a new experience for me. It will be fun. She's an unbelievable player," Bellis said.
"She's been at the top of the game for a while now. It will be great for me just to see where my game lines up against another one of the top players." After holding the number one ranking for a month last autumn, Muguruza remains keen for another taste of life at the top of the WTA. "It is important," the Spaniard said. "I always have it in my mind, to be able to fight for that.
Comments
Comments are closed.