DUBAI, United Arab Emirates — In a commanding performance, two-time former champion Elina Svitolina dispatched last year’s finalist, Anna Kalinskaya, with a resounding score of 6-1, 6-2 in the opening round of the Dubai Championships on Sunday.
Kalinskaya, who made her way through the qualifiers and achieved an impressive feat by defeating three top-10 players—most notably a remarkable victory over world No. 1 Iga Swiatek to reach last year’s final—found herself overwhelmed this time.
However, the journey for the Russian No. 15 seed came to an abrupt end in just over an hour against Svitolina. The 30-year-old Ukrainian dominated with an impressive 75 percent success rate on her first serve and efficiently capitalized on six out of seven break points.
Having clinched the WTA 1000 title in 2017—and achieving a personal best ranking of third in that same year—along with another victory in 2018, Svitolina is on a determined path to reclaim her former glory.
Looking ahead, she is set to clash against either Rebecca Sramkova or Clara Tauson in the second round.
Meanwhile, former U.S. Open champion Emma Raducanu earned a wild card and was scheduled to face Maria Sakkari later on Sunday. The victor of that match will meet the 14th-seeded Karolina Muchova in what promises to be an exciting second-round battle.
