Drizzle washes away Sfar's hopes

Dubai: Bad luck ended Arab tennis star Selima Sfar's run very early in the Dubai Duty Free Women's Open.

The Tunisian wild card did all she could against Japan's Ai Sugiyama in a first round match late on Monday, but still lost 4-6, 7-5, 3-6.

Sfar was leading 4-1 in the first set when a drizzle stopped play for some time, which was enough for the world No 24 to regroup her game.

"She somehow came back. She played a lot from the forehand, altered her game and she became more consistent," Sfar said of her opponent.

Sfar nearly faltered in the second set despite a couple of breaks to her name. "I tried to be aggressive and I think that worked," Sfar reflected.

But in the third set, the Tunisian crumbled and Sugiyama did just enough to win the set and match 6-3.

Sfar has taken things easy this year, playing just three matches in the course of the past few weeks. After suffering an early exit, Sfar is now hoping to get a wild card at next week's Doha Open.

"I need to get more matches under my belt. It is tough for me to be in this position. This is not something I am used to. I am capable of delivering much more," she said.

"It is important for me to play well in this part of the world as this is like a second home to me."

In case she fails to get a wild card in Doha, Sfar plans to play in smaller tournaments so that she can be match fit.

"I need to do that in order to get my confidence back," Sfar said.