Elina Svitolina and Karolina Pliskova score wins in Abu Dhabi

Karolina Pliskova and Elina Svitolina have made a winning start of the season in Abu Dhabi, beating their rivals in straight sets to kick off the title chase.

Instead of Sorana Cirstea, Pliskova faced Despina Papamichail and scored a 6-2, 7-6 win in an hour and 21 minutes. The Czech struggled in the second set against world no. 278, securing it in the tie break to move over the top. Pliskova hit four aces and seven double faults, doing everything right behind the first serve and fending off four out of five break chances to mount the pressure on the Greek.

Papamichail got broken three times, recovering her game in set number two after a slow start before falling in the tie break to push the better-ranked player through. Karolina settled into a fine rhythm early on, secured breaks in games four and eight to wrap up the opener in style. Serving for the win at 5-3 in set number two, Pliskova got broken to keep her rival alive, staying focused and fixing that in the tie break to seal the deal and avoid the decider.

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Elina Svitolina ousted Jessica Pegula 6-4, 6-3 in an hour and 23 minutes, fending off all four break chances and stealing the rival's serve thrice for a commanding win. The Ukrainian grabbed an early break in the opener and survived a challenging game eight before closing the set at 5-4. Carried by this momentum, Elina clinched a double break in set number two that brought her home.

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