Aryna Sabalenka won her second match since the Australian Open and it was a rather interesting one against Ostapenko as she lost the first set 2-6 but then won the next two 6-1 6-1.
Sabalenka admitted before the Dubai event that the condition suit her this year a bit better than last year and it was evident in her round one win. Another player for whom the conditions work is
Jelena Ostapenko and she was the better player in the first set. Having her precision on point early allowed Ostapenko to smash some incredible winners en route to a 6-2 finish.
The response of Sabalenka came swiftly in the second set as she smashed Ostapenko leaving her only one game. Ostapenko had her typical drop off where she starts committing errors in series and Sabalenka used that to play herself into a good rhythm. It was a costly sequence for Ostapenko as she never quite regained that confidence.
Sabalenka kept applying heavy pressure and playing her game which ultimately resulted in a 6-1 finish in the final set as well. An incredibly impressive performance from Sabalenka, especially after the slow start.