DUBAI, United Arab Emirates — Two-time former champion Elina Svitolina routed final 12 months’s runner-up Anna Kalinskaya 6-1, 6-2 within the first spherical of the Dubai Championships on Sunday.
Kalinskaya got here via qualifying and beat three top-10 gamers in a row — together with a gorgeous upset win in opposition to No. 1 Iga Swiatek — to achieve final 12 months’s remaining.
However this time the Russian No. 15 seed’s match lasted somewhat a couple of hour in opposition to Svitolina. The 30-year-old Ukrainian received 75 p.c of factors on her first serve and clinically transformed six of her seven break factors.
Svitolina received the WTA 1000 match in 2017 — the 12 months she reached a career-best rating of third — and in 2018.
She’s going to face both Rebecca Sramkova or Clara Tauson within the second spherical.
Former U.S. Open champion Emma Raducanu had a wild card entry and was taking part in Maria Sakkari later Sunday, with the winner dealing with 14th-seeded Karolina Muchova within the second spherical.
