First round results at the Dubai Duty Free Championship 2013 – Tennis News
Former world number one, Ana Ivanovic, started the Dubai Duty Free Championships campaign with straight sets victory over the 29th ranked Russian, Anastasia Pavlyuchenkova, on Monday. She scored her fifth head-to-head
victory against the 21-year-old Russian; posting a score line of 6-3, 7-6(5). She will play the winner of the contest between the sixth seed Petra Kvitova and the Slovak qualifier, Daniela Hantuchova.
Ivanovic stated in a post-match interview, “She really started striking the ball a lot deeper and harder when she had her back against the wall towards the end of the second set. It was getting kind of difficult. I'm really happy
I managed to stay in that match and finish in two sets. It really was a good effort, I think.”
An upset for the 19-year-old Briton, Laura Robson, was witnessed later in the day when she lost to a year younger Kazakh wildcard entrant, Yulia Putintseva, in an enthralling three-setter that ended with a final score line of 6-4,
2-6, 7-6(6) in favour of the 101st ranked Kazakh. It was a shocking exit for the 43rd ranked Briton who looked in a sublime run of form in her recent past. Agnieszka Radwanska, the third seed Pole, will face the Kazakh qualifier in round
two.
Last year’s finalist, Julia Goerges, faced a tough draw at the opening round against the seventh ranked Italian, Sara Errani, and couldn’t survive the tricky game play on Tuesday. She bounced back a set down to level the scores
but couldn’t handle the onslaught of her rival in the 10th game of the final set to lose 3-6, 6-4, 4-6. The fifth seed Italian will face the Romanian superstar, Sorana Cirstea, in round two.
The 12th ranked Russian, Nadia Petrova, bounced back a set down to beat the 23-year-old Slovak, Dominika Cibulkova, in a battling three-setter. She routed the 15th ranked Slovak 5-7, 6-3, 6-2 to book a spot
in the second round of the event where she will play the likes of the top seed Belarusian, Victoria Azarenka.
Marion Bartoli of France and Su-Wei Hsieh of Taiwan also won their opening round clashes to book a berth in the second round.
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