Goerges German makes stunning debut at Dubai Duty Free Tennis Championship

Julia Goerges made a stunning debut at the Dubai Duty Free Tennis Championships on Monday when she upset 2011 finalist Svetlana Kuznetsova 2-6 7-6 6-4 to line up a mouth-watering second round clash with world number one and Australian Open champion Victoria Azarenka.

Kuznetsova appeared to be easing her way to a comfortable victory as she led by a set and 3-1, but the 23-year-old German refused to fold and levelled at 3-3, and after a further exchange of breaks went on to sweep the tiebreak 7-2.

The deciding set remained in the balance right to the end, before Goerges broke serve to lead 5-4 and served out for her two hour 15-minute victory over the Russian.

“Well, it wasn't the best beginning for me, but one of the best beginnings for her probably. She just kind of overwhelmed me with her shots,” said Goerges. “I just tried to get back into the match somehow, playing more balls in the court, and fighting for every ball. I got my chance and I took it.”

Her clash with Azarenka promises to be quite a battle as Goerges bids to inflict a first defeat of the season on the world number one.

“Victoria Azarenka is undefeated in her 17 matches this season, winning not only the Australian Open but tournaments in Sydney and Doha,” said Tournament Director Salah Tahlak. “At the same time, Julia Goerges has proved she is in excellent form this week, and it will be fascinating to see which player will emerge as the winner from what is bound to be a well-contested match.”

Eighth seed Jelena Jankovic, a three-time semi-finalist and runner-up in 2005, eased into the next round with a comfortable 6-2 6-2 win over Petra Cetkovska. Maria Kirilenko won her first match in Dubai since 2007, having lost in the first round every year since. By an amazing coincidence, the last player she defeated was Monica Niculescu and the score was 6-3 6-0, and her win on Monday was against the same player, with the same score and in the same round.

Flavia Pennetta also reached the second round by beating Anabel Medina Garrigues 6-3 6-3, and in a battle between the two wild card entries, Shahar Peer overwhelmed Fatma Al Nabhani 6-3 6-1.The final round of the qualifying event saw victories for Iveta Benesova, Petra Martic, Simona Halep and Aleksandra Wozniak.

The WTA Tour event continues until Saturday and features not only Azarenka, but also US Open winner Samantha Stosur, Dubai defending champion Caroline Wozniacki and recent Doha semi-finalists Agnieszka Radwanska and Marion Bartoli.

Play then continues on February 27 with the ATP tournament featuring eight of the world’s top 10, including reigning Dubai, Wimbledon, US Open and Australian Open champion Novak Djokovic, four-time winner Roger Federer, sensational Scot Andy Murray, charismatic Frenchman Jo-Wilfried Tsonga and recent Montpellier winner Tomas Berdych.

The Dubai Duty Free Tennis Championships is owned and organised by Dubai Duty Free and held under the patronage of His Highness Sheikh Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum, Vice-President and Prime Minister of the UAE and Ruler of Dubai.

Tickets for the event are available from the Box Office at the Dubai Tennis Stadium, Garhoud which opens from 9am to 9pm daily. Grandstand tickets can also be bought online at https://www.timeouttickets.com/. For further information about tickets, prices and tournaments visit https://www.dubaidutyfreetennischampionships.com/ or phone the call centre on +971 4 358 9797.

Follow Emirates 24|7 on Google News.