Top seed and defending champion Jana Cepelova saw her hopes of becoming the first repeat winner at the Al Habtoor Tennis Challenge dashed as she crashed out in the first round in Dubai.
The Slovakian world No52 fell 6-3, 6-3 to Russia’s Alexandra Panova, who is ranked almost 100 positions below Cepelova.
Cepelova, who made an impressive final appearance at the WTA Premier event in Charleston, where she stunned world No1 Serena Williams, earlier this season, broke her opponent twice from the only two break points she created but was broken five times herself to succumb to Panova.
Meanwhile, seventh-seeded Vitalia Diatchenko, a champion at the Habtoor Grand Beach Resort and Spa in 2008, recorded her sixth win in a row with a 7-6 (5), 6-3 victory over Kristina Kucova.
The Russian, who captured the title in Taipei last Sunday, showed some signs of fatigue from her trip, getting broken four times but she took advantage of the six double faults Kucova committed to advance to the second round where she faces Germany’s Dinah Pfizenmaier.
Third-seeded Tereza Smitkova was also a casualty on day two, stumbling to a 6-3, 3-6, 6-4 loss to An-Sophie Mestach while fourth-seeded Anna-Lena Friedsam retired from her match with Nicoleta Dascalu after just one game.
2012 champion Kimiko Date-Krumm will be in action today against Spaniard Lourdes Dominguez Lino.
Tuesday Results
Alexandra PANOVA (RUS) 6-3, 6-3 Jana CEPELOVA (SVK) [1]
Viktoriya TOMOVA (BUL) 1-6, 7-5, 6-1 Naomi BROADY (GBR)
Carina WITTHOEFT (GER) [5] 6-3, 6-1 Richel HOGENKAMP (NED)
Nicoleta-Catalina DASCALU (ROU) 1-0 Retired Anna-Lena FRIEDSAM (GER) [4]
Andreea MITU (ROU) 6-4, 6-2 Olga SAVCHUK (UKR)
Alexandra DULGHERU (ROU) [6] 6-4, 6-3 Cagla BUYUKAKCAY (TUR)
Laura POUS-TIO (ESP) 3-6, 7-6(5), 6-4 Misaki DOI (JPN)
Lyudmyla KICHENOK (UKR) 6-2, 6-2 Katerina KRAMPEROVA (CZE)
An-Sophie MESTACH (BEL) 6-3, 3-6, 6-4 Tereza SMITKOVA (CZE) [3]
Vitalia DIATCHENKO (RUS) [7] 7-6(5), 6-3 Kristina KUCOVA (SVK)
Dinah PFIZENMAIER (GER) 4-6, 6-4, 6-1 Akgul AMANMURADOVA (UZB)
Renata VORACOVA (CZE) 7-5, 7-6(2) Amandine HESSE (FRA)
Alison VAN UYTVANCK (BEL) [2] 6-4, 6-4 Irina RAMIALISON (FRA)
Wednesday Schedule
Court 1
Starting at 11:00 R16 Vitalia DIATCHENKO [7] v Dinah PFIZENMAIER
Followed By R16 Alexandra PANOVA v Viktoriya TOMOVA
Not Before 2:30 R16 Nicoleta-Catalina DASCALU v Andreea MITU
Court 2
Starting at 11:00 R16 Nadiia KICHENOK v Carina WITTHOEFT [5]
Followed By R16 Renata VORACOVA v Alison VAN UYTVANCK [2]
Court 3
Starting at 11:00 R16 Alexandra DULGHERU [6] v Laura POUS-TIO
Not Before 3:30 R16 Kimiko DATE-KRUMM v Lourdes DOMINGUEZ LINO
Followed By R16 Lyudmyla KICHENOK v An-Sophie MESTACH
