World number two Angelique Kerber hits a forehand during her first round win. (KT photo)
Dubai - Muguruza limps out with pain in her left Achilles
Published: Tue 21 Feb 2017, 9:19 PM
Last updated: Thu 23 Feb 2017, 12:38 AM
On a windy day that saw seeded players fall like a house of cards, world number two Angelique Kerber kept her hopes of reaching the top of women's game alive.
The reigning US Open champion made a very impressive start to her campaign at the Dubai Duty Free Tennis Championships on Tuesday, beating wild card Mona Barthel 6-4 6-3 in her second round match.
A title win in Dubai will make Kerber the world number one and she definitely played like one on the show court against a modest compatriot.
Kerber will now face the player who denied her the chance to create history at the Olympics last year. Monica Puig, the little-known Puerto Rican, stunned Kerber in the Olympic final in Rio, denying her the chance to join a select group of players to win a Grand Slam and the Olympic gold in the same year.
Puig needed three sets (6-1 4-6 6-2) to upset 15th seeded Frenchwomen Caroline Garcia on Tuesday.
In the first major upset of the of the day, Russian world number 30 Ekaterina Makarova beat third seed Dominika Cibulkova 6-2 4-6 6-2 to enter the third round.
There was a one-hour-45-minute delay due to the poor weather on Tuesday. But it didn't seem to disturb Makarova's rhythm as she hit 12 aces to knock the world number five out of the tournament.
The biggest casualty of the day was, of course, the number two seed and Doha champion Karolina Pliskova of the Czech Republic. The US Open runner-up never found her top form in her tame 6-2 6-4 defeat to Kristina Mladenovic of France.
French Open champion Garbine Muguruza then limped out of the tournament with pain in her left Achilles. The Spaniard was trailing 4-1 against Kateryna Bondarenko of Ukraine when she retired.
Chinese wild card Shuai Peng then joined the party of the underdogs by dismissing ninth seed Barbora Strycova of the Czech Republic 6-3 6-2.
There was glory too for 19-year-old Croatian star Ana Konjuh outplayed 12th seed Samantha Stosur of Australia. The 2011 US Open champion had no answer to the brilliant Croat in her 6-4 6-3 defeat.
Among the big names that escaped the mayhem were 10th seed Caroline Wozniacki and 4th seed Agnieszka Radwanska. Wozniacki beat Viktorija Golubic of Switzerland 6-4 6-2 and Radwanska defeated Belgium's Elise Mertens 6-3 6-2.
Russian 8th seed Elena Vesnina easily overcame the challenge of Japan's Misaki Doi 6-2 7-5. In the last match of the day, seventh seed Elina Svitolina of Ukraine beat Chinese qualifier Saisai Zheng 7-5 6-1.
rituraj@khaleejtimes.com
Results
Tuesday
Singles
Ekaterina Makarova (RUS) beat (3) Dominika Cibulkova (SVK) 6-2 4-6 6-2
(4) Agnieszka Radwanska (POL) beat Elise Mertens (BEL) 6-3 6-2
Kateryna Bondarenko (UKR) beat (5) Garbiñe Muguruza (Retires) (ESP) 4-1
Kristina Mladenovic (FRA) beats (2) Karolina Pliskova (CZE) 6-2 6-4.
(1) Angelique Kerber (GER) beat Mona Barthel (GER) 6-4 6-3
(7) Elina Svitolina (UKR) beat Saisai Zheng (CHN) 7-5 6-1
Monica Puig (PUR) beat (15) Caroline Garcia (FRA) 6-1 4-6 6-2;
Ana Konjuh (CRO) beat (12) Samantha Stosur (AUS) 6-4 6-3.
(10) Caroline Wozniacki (DEN) beat Viktorija Golubic (SUI) 6-4 6-2
(WC) Shuai Peng beat (9) Barbora Strycova (CZE) 6-3 6-2
Catherine Bellis (USA) beat Laura Siegemund (GER) 7-5 7-6
Lauren Davis (USA) )beat Kristyna Pliskova (CZE) 1-6 6-1 6-3
Anastasija Sevastova (LAT) beat Alison Riske (USA) 6-4 6-7 6-2
(8) Elena Vesnina (RUS) beat Misaki Doi (JPN) 6-2 7-5
Qiang Wang (CHN) (Q) Ons Jabeur (TUN) 6-3 6-1
Christina McHale (USA) beat Naomi Osaka (JPN) 6-3 6-4
Doubles
(4) Yung-Jan Chan (TPE)/Martina Hingis (SUI) beat Anna-Lena Groenefeld (GER)/Kveta Peschke (CZE) 4-6 6-3 14-12
(7) Abigail Spears (USA)/Katarina Srebotnik (SLO) beat Lyudmyla Kichenok (UKR)/Nadiia Kichenok (UKR) 6-2 6-3
(5) Hao-Ching Chan (TPE)/Yaroslava Shvedova (KAZ) beat Elise Mertens (BEL)/Aleksandrina Naydenova (BUL) 6-2 6-4
Gabriela Dabrowski (CAN)/Jelena Ostapenko (LAT) beat Darija Jurak (CRO)/Anastasia Rodionova (AUS) 7-6 6-1
(2) Ekaterina Makarova (RUS)/Elena Vesnina (RUS) beat Andreja Klepac (SLO)/María José Martínez Sánchez (ESP) 6-3 7-6.
Order of Play
Wednesday
Centre Court
11am
Ekaterina Makarova (RUS) vs Lauren Davis (USA)
Qiang Wang (CHN) vs Kristina Mladenovic (FRA)
Christina McHale (USA) (7) Elina Svitolina (UKR)
(1) Angelique Kerber (GER) vs Monica Puig (PUR)
Not before 7pm
(4) Agnieszka Radwanska (POL) vs Catherine Bellis (USA)
(10) Caroline Wozniacki (DEN) vs Kateryna Bondarenko (UKR)
Court 2
12noon
(8) Elena Vesnina (RUS) vs Ana Konjuh (CRO)
(WC) Shuai Peng vs Anastasija Sevastova (LAT)
(7) Abigail Spears (USA)/Katarina Srebotnik (SLO) vs Raluca Olaru (ROU)/Olga Savchuk (UKR)
Kiki Bertens (NED) vs Johanna Larsson (SWE) vs (3) Sania Mirza/Barbora Strycova (CZE)
Court 3
1pm
(5) Hao-Ching Chan (TPE)/Yaroslava Shvedova (KAZ) vs Irina-Camelia Begu (ROU)/Daria Kasatkina (RUS)
(1) Kristina Mladenovic (FRA)/Caroline Garcia (FRA) vs Kristyna Pliskova (CZE)/Viktorija Golubic (SUI)
(6) Andrea Hlavackova (CZE)/Shuai Peng (CHN) vs Mandy Minella (LUX)/ Anastasija Sevastova (LAT)
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