Bencic begins Dubai Duty Free Tennis title defence against Pavlyuchenkova

Dubai - The Swiss, who is seeded fourth here, had a good run following her win in Dubai.

World No.5 Belinda Bencic will begin her title defence against Anastasia Pavlyuchenkova in the Dubai Duty Free Tennis Championships, it was confirmed on Saturday.
The draw for the 20th edition of the Championships was made at the Majlis of the Dubai Duty Free Tennis Stadium and Bencic, who won the singles title after beating 2013 winner Czech Petra Kvitova last year, takes on the Russian in the first round.
The Swiss, who is seeded fourth here, had a good run following her win in Dubai. The 22-year-old from Flawil, had beaten then world No.1 Naomi Osaka at the US Open to reach the semifinals of Grand Slam for the first time in her career.
Prior to that, Bencic had reached the final in Mallorca with a victory in Moscow, her second title, bookending her run at the US Open.
Meanwhile, top seed and world No.2 Simona Halep has received a bye in the first round. The Romanian, champion at the hallowed lawns of Wimbledon last year, had won in Dubai in 2015. She faces either Alison Riske or Tunisian wildcard Ons Jabeur in the second round.
Second seed Czech Karolina Pliskova, who won at Brisbane, too received a bye and the world No.3 will meet a qualifier in the second round.
Newly-crowned Australian Open champion Sofia Kenin takes on Elena Rybakina of Kazakhstan and the fifth seed could go up against Czech Karolina Muchova or a qualifier in the second round.
Former world No.1 Kim Clijsters, who is coming out of her second retirement, will make her Dubai bow against sixth seed Kiki Bertens, after being handed a wildcard.
Clijsters, who won four Grand Slam singles titles - the 2011 Australian Open and 2005, 2009 and 2010 US Open - and two doubles titles, the 2003 French Open and Wimbledon, as well as three WTA Finals singles titles, will meet Ukraine's Dayana Yastremska or a qualifier in the second round.
The 36-year-old Clijsters had hung up her racquet in 2007, taking a break to start a family. The Belgian had returned in 2009 before calling it a day again after the US Open in 2012.
Meanwhile, the battle of the wildcards will see Ukrainian third seed Elina Svitolina take on Garbine Muguruza.
james@khaleejtimes.com