By Tennis Now | Tuesday, February 21, 2023
Top-seeded Iga Swiatek swept Leylah Fernandez 6-1, 6-1 and second-seeded Aryna Sabalenka demolished Lauren Davis on a day of cheers and tears in Dubai.
Photo credit: Getty for Dubai Duty Free Tennis Championships
Top seeds stormed through torrid statement starts in Dubai.
World No. 1 Iga Swiatek continues her first-rate form. Swiatek slammed Leylah Fernandez 6-1, 6-1 in a commanding Dubai Duty Free Tennis Championships opener.
Sabalenka's Goal: Become World No. 1
In front of a lively Centre Court crowd, Swiatek raced into a 4-0 lead and never looked in any real danger despite a gritty display from Fernandez.
Former US Open finalist Fernandez kept posing questions, but Swiatek had all the answers.
The World No.1 had too much guile, power and speed.
Fast footwork powered a swarming Swiatek, who rushed Fernandez into errors to start the second set. Fernandez missed three forehands as the top seed broke to start the second set.
Credit the feisty Fernandez for continuing to scrape. The left-hander earned break points in the fourth game, but Swiatek saved both then slid a backhand winner down the line for game point. The Pole pounded a forehand down the opposite sideline extending her second-set lead to 4-1.
The top-seeded Swiatek slashed a backhand winner sealing a sharp one hour, 12-minute win.
In her run to her 12th career title in Doha last week, Swiatek set a WTA record for fewest games allowed en route to a title permitting just five games. Swiatek has dropped only seven games in her four wins since she suffered an Australian Open fourth-round loss to Elena Rybakina.
Three-time Grand Slam champion Swiatek set up a third-round clash with 14th seed Liudmila Samsonova, who pushed the Pole in a 7-5 in the third-set loss on Stuttgart's red clay last April.
“That was much tougher than the score says. I really needed to work hard," Swiatek said. "The courts here are a little faster than Doha, so it took a little adjusting but was good in the end.”
Prior to Swiatek taking to Centre Court, No.2 seed Aryna Sabalenka needed only 59 minutes to dismiss Lauren Davis 6-0 6-1. After breaking the American in the second game, Sabalenka never looked back, sending an ominous warning to her rivals.
The Australian Open champion said she knows how to manage her game and momentum. Sabalenka improved to 12-0 on the season as she aims for her third straight title. Sabalenka will face 2017 Roland Garros champion Jelena Ostapenko next.
“I have a better understanding now of what I need to do to keep going," Sabalenka said. "I’m getting used to being announced on court as the Australian Open champion, but I just have to keep moving forward.
"I had a few days off in Dubai after the Australian Open, a few days at the beach and in some nice restaurants, but then it was straight back to work”
In the final match on Centre Court, Coco Gauff needed just 70 minutes to beat Aliaksandra Sasnovich 6-0, 6-4 and book her place in the third round, where she will play ninth seed Elena Rybakina.
Wimbledon champion Rybakina beat Marie Bouzkova 7-5, 6-2 in 1hr 43 minutes.
“I just focused on my service games as my opponent was returning well," said Gauff, who is also into the doubles quarterfinals with partner Jessica Pegula. "I stuck to my game plan and just focused on my serves, particularly in the second set.”
Tears and Cheers on Court 3
One of the day’s most eagerly anticipated matches played out in the women’s Doubles on Court 3, where Veronika Kudermetova and Liudmila Samsonova denied India’s Sania Mirza a fairytale ending to her storied career with a 6-4, 6-0 triumph.
Having outlined her retirement plans pre-tournament, Mirza, who played alongside Madison Keys in what proved to be the tennis icon’s final match, ends her playing days with a legacy of inspiring an entire generation of Indian tennis players and fans during a milestone-filled 18-year career.
“I’m just really grateful for everything that I've been able to achieve and been able to do in my last 20 years. It's been a long career, and I'm looking forward to the next phase of my life," a tearful Mirza said. "I guess it's still sinking in a little bit. I'm sure I'll have a couple of cries before tomorrow morning.
"But I think the good part about taking a decision on your own and doing it on your own terms is you're very happy with what you're doing. It is very important to believe.”
Also on Court 3, defending champion Jelena Ostapenko breezed into the Round of 16 with a ruthless dismantling of the Czech Republic’s Linda Fruhvirtova.
The 13th seeded Ostapenko needed only 54 minutes to notch a near-flawless 6-2, 6-0 in victory.
After a short break, Ostapenko returned to Court 3 alongside doubles partner Lyudmyla Kichenok where the pair faced Hungary’s Timea Babos and France’s Kristina Mladenovic for a place in the quarterfinals. Ostapenko, moving freely and hitting with menace, picked up where she left off against Fruhvirtova, and the second seeds eclipsed their rivals 6-1, 7-6 to move into the last eight.
Bencic Through After Marathon Match
Elsewhere, No.8 seed and 2019 Dubai champion Belinda Bencic was just 40 seconds short of breaking the record for the longest match of the WTA season, which was set on Monday when Sorana Cirstea beat 11th seed Beatriz Haddad Maia in 3 hours, 28 minutes.
Playing on Court One, Bencic recovered from a set down to beat Marta Kostyuk 6-7(7), 7-6(5), 6-4.