Former US Open champions Coco Gauff and Emma Raducanu bowed out of the Dubai Duty Free Tennis Championships on Tuesday.
Both exited in straight sets; Gauff lost to fellow American McCartney Kessler, who scored her first victory over a top-10 opponent, while Briton Raducanu fell to 14th seed Karolina Muchova.
Raducanu, 22, fought back from a dreadful start to take the first set to a tie-break, but ultimately went down 7-6, 6-4 to miss out on a last-16 clash with Kessler.
Raducanu, who appeared to be in tears as she went to the umpire’s chair after the second game, suffered a nightmare opening to a rain-delayed encounter, losing both of her service games as she fell 4-0 behind.
However, she broke back in the fifth courtesy of a stunning backhand return down the line before holding serve for the first time, and she was right back in it when she broke for a second time in the ninth game to trail only 5-4.
The Briton saved two set points to take it to a tie-break but it was her 28-year-old Czech opponent who eventually prevailed 8-6.
Raducanu’s disappointment was compounded when she was broken again in the first game of the second set and after failing to convert any of the three break points she earned in the sixth game, it was Muchova who edged across the line 6-4.
Kessler, 25, sprang a surprise when she took the first set against Gauff 6-4 and broke in the first game of the second to pile on the pressure.
The second set proved equally tight, but Gauff was ultimately unable to turn it around as she went down 6-4 7-5.
There were no such problems for world No 1 Aryna Sabalenka, who dispensed with Veronika Kudermetova 6-3, 6-4.
The rain also meant Italian fourth seed Jasmine Paolini had to wait nearly five hours on match point against Germany’s Eva Lys.
The players went off at 2.15pm and it was approaching 7pm when they finally returned.
Just nine shots later Paolini had completed a 6-2, 7-5 victory.
World No 2 Iga Swiatek did not waste any time when her match eventually got going, dismantling Victoria Azarenka 6-0, 6-2.
Elsewhere, 11th seed Diana Shnaider lost in three sets to Linda Noskova, while there were wins for Jessica Pegula, Elena Rybakina, Paula Badosa, Dayana Yastremska, Sofia Kenin and Clara Tauson.
