Magdalena Fręch dismissed the Russian without permission. Is the form from the Australian Open returning?
On Sunday (February 18), the main draw of the WTA 1000 tournament in Dubai began. Magdalena Fręch won over Ekaterina Aleksandrowa.
The Łódź player had to look for a chance to participate in the main tournament in Dubai in the qualifying rounds. However, Magdalena Fręch proved once again that 2024 can be the next big step in her career. Before entering the tournament bracket, the Pole defeated two solid opponents, Arina Rodionova and Yulia Putintseva.
Magdalena Fręch with another win in the WTA 1000 in Dubai
Interestingly, both the Łódź player and her Sunday rival, Ekaterina Aleksandrowa, played in the tournament in Qatar a few days ago. In Doha, where Iga Świątek triumphed in great style, the Pole lost quickly in the first round (after previously winning the qualifying round), and the Russian lost in the 1/8 finals. What did they have in common during the tournament in Doha? Świątek threads. Fręch lost to the future rival of the WTA ranking leader, Wiktoria Azarenka, while Aleksandrowa… lost to the player herself.
On Sunday, the Polish tennis player showed her strength on the court. Fręch defeated her opponent, who was much higher in the ranking (the Pole is 52nd and the Russian is 19th) in two sets. The first game was decided after 52 minutes. Both women broke twice, but Fręch won convincingly in the tie-break 7:2.
Second set? Here, only one break was enough. The Pole remained calm in the eighth game and at the first chance for a break point, she defeated her opponent. Having 5:3 and her own serve, the Łódź player closed the match with match ball number 1.
It is worth recalling that the Łódź native started the year with a lifetime success at the Grand Slam Australian Open. Fręch reached the fourth round of the tournament in Melbourne.
Will Iga Świątek fight for another title in the Middle East?
The WTA 1000 tournament in Dubai will feature the best tennis player in the world. Świątek will start the competition from the second round. Last year in the United Arab Emirates, the Pole reached the final of the event, where she lost to Barbora Krejcikova.
Świątek will face the winner of the fight between Sloane Stephens and Clara Burel in the second round of the tournament. The first one mentioned is the favorite, although the American and the French are separated by a small distance in the WTA rankings. There is also another Polish woman in Dubai, Magda Linette. On Sunday, the Poznań player will play against Japanese qualifier Nao Hibino.