The Dubai Duty Free Tennis Championships takes The National Sport front page on Thursday, February 19, after five of the top eight seeds exited the tournament on Wednesday.
The defeat of Venus Williams, the defending champion, was the biggest shock. Her 16-match unbeaten run in Dubai ended quickly, on a day when temperatures on the court reached 41°C, as she fell 6-4, 6-2 to Lucie Safarova.
The 2012 champion and No 5 seed Agnieszka Radwanska was also beaten by a 6-4, 6-2 score, by rising star Garbine Muguruza.
The shocks did not end there. Reigning Wimbledon champion Petra Kvitova, the No 2 seed in Dubai, lost 6-3, 4-6, 6-3 to Carla Suarez-Navarro, the same opponent who eliminated her from the tournament last year.
No 7 seed Angelique Kerber and fifth seed Ana Ivanovic also saw their hopes of claiming the title vanish in defeats to Flavia Panetta and Karolina Pliskova, respectively.
There were victories, however, for top seed Simona Halep and No 3 seed Caroline Wozniacki.
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