DUBAI: Top seed Elina Svitolina suffered a 2-6, 6-4, 6-1 defeat to Svetlana Kuznetsova in her Dubai opener on Tuesday as American teen sensation Coco Gauff fought “fire with fire” to come through a tension-fuelled second round against Marketa Vondrousova.

Fourth seed Petra Kvitova, meanwhile, was forced to retire through injury from her evening clash with Jil Teichmann.

Kuznetsova rallied back from a set and an early break down to knock out the two-time champion and record her 21st match-win in Dubai -- the highest tally among active WTA players.

The 35-year-old Russian is a three-time runner-up in the UAE showpiece and next has a last-16 showdown with Barbora Krejcikova, who ousted former Roland Garros champion Jelena Ostapenko.

Contesting a seventh consecutive three-set match, Gauff needed two hours to dismiss the Czech 12th seed 3-6, 6-0, 6-4 and set up a third-round meeting with qualifier Tereza Martincova.

In an all-lefty night-session affair, Swiss debutante Teichmann secured passage to the third round when Kvitova was forced to withdraw midway through the second set.

A champion in Doha three days ago, Kvitova dropped the opening set 6-2 after receiving treatment for a right inner thigh injury. The 2013 Dubai winner led Teichmann 4-1 in the second set but Kvitova lost her break advantage and had to end the match two games later.

Third seed Aryna Sabalenka made quick work of Frenchwoman Alize Cornet while reigning French Open champion Iga Swiatek enjoyed a winning debut in Dubai as she eased past Japanese lucky loser Misaki Doi 6-2, 6-4.

The Polish teenager will next tackle two-time major champion Garbine Muguruza, whom Swiatek has recently described as the player she’d like to face the most.

Over on centre court, second-seeded Karolina Pliskova let two match points slip her grasp in the second set before she regrouped to oust Latvia’s Anastasija Sevastova 6-3, 6-7 (5-7), 6-2.

Her reward is a rematch with American Jessica Pegula, who upset Pliskova at the Qatar Open last week.

Meanwhile, Belinda Bencic saw off Russian world number 34 Veronika Kudermetova 6-4, 5-7, 6-4 to book a last-16 clash with in-form teenager Anastasia Potapova, who took out American 11th seed Madison Keys.

Published in Dawn, March 11th, 2021