Pliskova enters next round; Osaka knocked out of Dubai tournament

World number one Naomi Osaka lost to Kristina Mladenovic 6-3 6-3 (Photo by Shihab)

Dubai - Pliskova beat Cibulkova 6-2 3-6 6-3

On a day of upsets, fourth seed Karolina Pliskova of the Czech Republic won her second round match against Dominika Cibulkova of Slovakia (6-2 3-6 6-3) to enter the third round of the Dubai Duty Free Tennis Championships.
Pliskova, who was a runner-up in Dubai in 2015, overcame a second set slump and rain break, to clinch the match in three sets.
"It was a tough match. My head-to-head record against her is not the best. So with this win, I made it better," Pliskova said after the match.
"I just tried to stay positive. I know I was playing well. I didn't play my best tennis, I was close to it."
The win over Cibulkova earned a third round clash with American Alison Riske
"I had some tough matches against her in the past. I know she is a fighter. She beat some good players this week. So it's not going to be easy, but you know, I will try my best," she said.
And Kristina Mladenovic, a Dubai resident, caused the mother of all upsets with a stunning 6-3 6-3 win over Naomi Osaka, the 21-year-old Japanese superstar who has written a few glorious chapters in tennis by becoming the first Asian to be world number one and the youngest woman since Martina Hingis to win back-to-back Grand Slams.
But on a beautiful Tuesday evening on the Centre Court, things got ugly for the gifted Japanese player as errors began to creep into her game, allowing Frenchwoman Mladenovic - world number 67 - to hurt her with some powerful groundstrokes.
"It obviously feels amazing. It was pretty loud for Naomi, I know the fans were mostly cheering for her. I understand that because she is an amazing player. She is a great champion, obviously she won the last two Grand Slams, which is something huge," Mladenovic said after recording the biggest win of her career.
"But I am very happy. It's my home tournament. I live here. I had a good win over Karolina Pliskova on the same court few years ago. And today I was ready for Naomi. I watched a lot of her matches. I was ready for her big shots.
"So I am now very happy that I took my chances," said Mladenovic who will take on Carla Suarez Navarra in the next round.
Earlier, hearts went out to the fearless Ons Jabeur who threatened to knock the two-time defending champion Elina Svitolina out of the tournament only to suffer a shoulder injury.
Jabeur eventually retired with Svitolina, the world number six, leading 7-6 (7/4) 4-0, but not before showing the world her vast array of skills.
The highest ranked Arab player at 56, Jabeur had a commanding 4-1 lead in the first set before she hurt her shoulder while going for a diving volley.
Svitolina, who is bidding to become the first woman to win three straight Dubai titles, will now take on two-time Grand Slam champion Garbine Muguruza -- who beat China's Saisai Zheng in straight sets (7-5 6-2) - in a mouth-watering third round clash.
Reigning French Open champion Simona Halep also joined Muguruza in the next round with a straight sets victory of her own against Canadian wild card Eugenie Bouchard (7-6, 7/4; 6-4).
Then Angelique Kerber registered a straight-set win (7-5 6-3) over Slovenian Lucky Loser Dalila Jakupovic. But it wasn't as straightforward as the scorecard suggested.
Having found herself in a big hole with a 5-1 deficit in the first set, the German had dig deep into her reserve to overcome the world number 85.
Petra Kvitova of the Czech Republic also overcame a strong challenge from compatriot Katerina Siniakova to enter the third round.
Kvitova fought back from a set down to beat Siniakova, the world number 44, 6-7 (3/7) 6-4 6-4 to set up a clash with American qualifier Jennifer Brady.
While Kvitova survived the second round scare, last year's finalist Daria Kasatkina of Russia was knocked out of the tournament by American Sofia Kenin (3-6 6-2 6-4).
Kasatkina was not the only seeded player to fall in Dubai on Tuesday.
Seventh seed Kiki Bertens of the Netherlands lost an epic three set battle to Slovakian Viktoria Kuzmova 6-2 4-6 6-7 (6/8) and 14th seeded Frenchwoman Caroline Garcia lost to Brady 4-6 5-7.
Another Frenchwoman, Alize Cornet, the 2014 Dubai runner-up, also lost in straight sets (6-2 6-3) to American Alison Riske.  
But Kvitova fought back after being broken in the first set of her second round match.
The two-time Wimbledon champion clinched her third break point in the 10th game when Siniakova was serving for the set.
But it was in the tie-break that the 22-year-old Siniakova was in control, quickly taking a 4-1 lead.
The left-handed Kvitova couldn't force her way back into the contest as her younger rival took the first set with a 7-3 score in the tie-break.
Kvitova hit back in the second set with an early break of serve, as she countered the defensive tactics of Siniakova with powerful groundstrokes and impressive net play.
That lone break of serve was enough for the 28-year-old Kvitova to take the match into the third set.
Siniakova showed no signs of nerves until the first eight games of the third set as she remained solid on her serve.
But Kvitova earned her first break point in the ninth game and Siniakova finally wilted under pressure, sending a forehand wide.
In the next game, Kvitova clinched the win with a fine volley, ending what was an intense two-hour-34 minute battle.

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