Dubai Duty Free tennis: Two-time champion Elina Svitolina sent packing

Dubai: American qualifier Jennifer Brady sprung the biggest upset so far with a 6-2, 6-1 win over two-time champion Elina Svitolina at the Dubai Duty Free Women’s Open, on Tuesday.

Making her second appearance here, Brady was in total control in the 61 minutes on court with two breaks in the first and another three in the second as the 2017 and 2018 champion struggled to find her rhythm.

“It’s tough to say. I don’t know. It was not a bad start, but then everything just went downhill. I wish I could regroup better. In the end, I didn’t feel the ball well. Just everything was all over the place today,” Svitolina rued.

The 24-year-old Brady was thrilled with the way her plan fell in place. “I think just going out there and believing that I could win is the best thing. I had to play my best tennis in order to win and I was just focused on my game plan and I think I competed well from the very beginning,” she said.