Dubai: Veteran Kimiko Date-Krumm handed a tennis lesson to Alexandra Riley with a 6-0, 6-0 thrashing to set up a second round meeting against Lourdes Dominguez Lino in the 17th Al Habtoor Tennis Challenge on Monday.
Date-Krumm, a winner here in 2012, was never disturbed by the American from Philadephia as she breezed through in less than an hour on the main competition court at the Habtoor Grand Beach Resort and Spa on the opening day of the main draw.
Though relieved at making it through to the second round, the 44-year-old Japanese was cautious about her chances in the next round against Spaniard Dominguez Lino.
“She is a gifted girl and she has the talent to change the rhythm of the game. I am in good shape, especially after my recent injury, and I will be doing all I can to see how much I can push myself here,” Date-Krumm told media after the match.
“Lino was a top-50 player once upon a time and I will have to be at my best against her.”
One of the most resilient players on the WTA, Date-Krumm suffered an injury during her home event in Tokyo in September, after which she took a one-month break, unable to even walk. However, she played in Chinese Taipei last week and is continuing her recovery here.
“I did nothing with tennis for one month. But last month was good for me. Sometimes it is not all about the results. I need to just give myself some more time on court, so I am expecting a tough match on Tuesday,” she added.
Earlier, the top four seeds qualified to the competition’s main draw. Top qualifying seed Amandine Hesse was a 6-4, 6-1 winner over Nicoleta-Catalina Dascalu of Romania, while fellow French girl and second seed Irina Ramialison beat Jesika Maleckova 7-5, 6-4.
Third seed Viktoriya Tomova was an easy 6-4, 6-1 winner against Ekaterina Yashina and fourth seed Katerina Kramperova eased into the main competition with a 6-3, 7-5 win over Elena Bogdan.
First round matches will continue on Tuesday. Entrance to the tournament is free.
