Leylah Fernandez and Emma Raducanu were the big-name casualties of Monday's matches at the Dubai Duty Free Tennis Championships.
Fernandez – a Canadian of Filipino descent – saw her campaign grind to a halt as she lost in straight sets to Indonesian wildcard Janice Tjen 7-6, 6-4.
Under the hot afternoon sun, the game swung on a tight first set that had started with Fernandez falling 3-0 behind before rallying back to take a 5-4 lead and serve for the set. She couldn’t convert, double-faulting at breakpoint, to gift Tjen the game, before also letting the tiebreaker get away from her.
“It was a great battle out there,” said 23-year-old Tjen, who also beat Fernandez in straight sets at last month's Australian Open.
“I think the first set could have gone the other way; it was just a matter of my execution in the big moments.”
Raducanu's return to Dubai Duty Free Tennis Stadium ended in defeat to Antonia Ruzic, 1-6, 7-5, 2-6. The Croatian had only replaced Elisabetta Cocciaretto in the morning after the Italian withdrew from the main draw due to a right thigh injury.
Raducanu made headlines last year after a man was removed from the stadium after he “exhibited fixated behaviour” towards the former US Open champion during her match against Karolina Muchova.
It looked like it would be a short night's work for Ruzic as she closed out the first set in less than half an hour. Yet Raducanu – positioned 42 places higher in the WTA rankings at No 25 – repeatedly showed her mental fortitude to prolong the second set, before claiming two consecutive breaks to tie the match.
With the crowd buoyed by what appeared to be a rejuvenated British No 1, it looked like Raducanu would go on to close out the match. That feeling only grew stronger as she immediately broke her opponent again and held serve to take a 2-0 lead, but Ruzic had other plans. Fighting back and forcing her opponent on to her wayward backhand, Ruzic won six successive games to secure the third set and line up a second-round tie with Anastasia Zakharova.
Former Dubai finalists Amanda Anisimova and Paula Badosa also booked their spots in the last 32. World No 6 Anisimova was handed a late bye after Barbora Krejcikova withdrew injured, while Badosa dismantled Katerina Siniakova, 6-3, 7-5, to set up a clash against the 2017 and 2018 Dubai champion Elina Svitolina.
“Katerina's a very tricky opponent, she’s won a lot of matches and I was expecting a tough battle. I’m really pleased with my performance today. I tried to stay in there as she increased her level, it was very intense. I was trying to go for my shots, be aggressive, just trying to stay in the points as long as possible and wait for opportunities. I really look forward to playing here – I'm like a local now," said Dubai resident Badosa.
Earlier on Centre Court, last year’s beaten finalist Clara Tauson got her new campaign off to a positive start, beating 2020 Australian Open champion Sofia Kenin in straight sets, while Anna Kalinskaya saw off former French Open champion Jelena Ostapenko.
Elsewhere, World No 13 Belinda Bencic conquered Spanish debutant Jessica Bouzas Maneiro. After losing the first set 2-6, Bencic, who won the title in 2019, changed her tactics in the second set and started playing a more basic game. It worked perfectly and the Swiss star steamrolled the next two sets, 6-1, 6-2, to take the win.
She said: "I am just glad I was able to calm my head down a little bit and try and play a very simple game to improve throughout the match. I think I just settled into the match."
Bencic will now face 20-year-old Sara Bejlek, who won her first WTA Tour event at the Mubadala Abu Dhabi Open title.
