There was plenty of drama in store at the 2016 Dubai Duty Free Tennis Championships on Monday and the night-session match between Jelena Jankovic and Belinda Bencic had spectators on the edge of their seats.
Coming straight from her final in St. Petersburg, Bencic won the first set, but lost control of the match in the second, as a dramatic battle unfolded with the spectators witnessing plenty of screaming, arguing, crying and some great tennis in-between.
After two and a half hours, Jankovic’s experience prevailed and the Dubai veteran edged out the 12 years younger Swiss talent to make the second round.
Other players enjoyed a much less dramatic day. Elina Svitolina won her first match under the watchful eyes of recently-hired coaching help Justine Henin in straight sets. Ana Ivanovic was equally successful, winning her match against Daria Gavrilova in straight sets, much to the enjoyment of fiancé Bastian Schweinsteiger who was watching the Serb on the sidelines.
Wednesday at the 2016 Dubai Duty Free Tennis Championships will have an extremely packed lineup of matches with all top seeds in action, featuring the much-anticipated duel between Ana Ivanovic & 2015 Dubai champion Simona Halep.
Keep checking back to Women’s Tennis Blog for all the latest from Dubai!
