New Delhi: Amanda Anisimova and Jelena Ostapenko were beaten in straight sets in the first round of Dubai Duty Free Tennis Championships, two days fater contesting the first WTA final of 2025.
Anisimova won that match 6-4, 6-3 got the biggest title of her career till date. But on Monday she was far from that form as she lost to 6-2, 6-3 McCartney Kessler, her first top 20 win of her career.
Before that upset, 2022 champion Ostapenko went down 6-3, 6-3 to qualifier Moyuka Uchijima, who notched up the first top 30 win of her career.
After her win in the Qatar Open in Doha, Anisimova jumped to No. 18 from No. 41 in the WTA rankings. But though she wanted to continue her momentum, playing after 48 hours did take a toll on her.
“Mentally, I was looking forward to it. Obviously I have confidence right now. But flying and not being able to test out the conditions — I didn’t step out on the court at all ahead of the match. Physically I was having a very hard time. Didn’t sleep much the last few nights. I was in a little bit of pain,” Anisimova said after her loss.
“McCartney was playing very well today. It was just a tough turnaround for me. I tried to find my game today, but it was pretty difficult physically … I am happy with the way I was trying to fight and do as much I could. It just really wasn’t enough against high-level players here.”
Error prone performance
Anisimova and Ostapenko had produced impressive serving numbers in Doha, but could not reach that level in Dubai. Anisimova committed seven double faults while Ostapenko made nine.
Kessler and Uchijima comfortably hit return winners throughout their victories. Ostapenko also had to undergo a medical timeout in between sets before continuing to play.
“I feel like I’m starting to go sightseeing more, just appreciate being in the cities that I’m at,” Ostapenko said.
“As opposed to maybe a few years ago I would focus more on the stress of being at the tournaments, kind of put myself in more of a bubble than I would do now.
“I try to have a good balance of just being grateful for the traveling I get to do, as well as the high stakes and pressure of the competition. I think finding that balance has been really important.”
Two days after competing in the Qatar Open final, Amanda Anisimova and Jelena Ostapenko were beaten in straight sets in the first round of Dubai Duty Free Tennis Championships. Tennis Sports News: Latest Cricket News, Cricket Live Score, Sports Breaking News from Sports Today
