Defending champion Garbine Muguruza and top seed Aryna Sabalenka are both out in the second round of the Dubai Duty Free Tennis Championships.
Fourth seed Garbine Muguruza closed the first set with a love hold and an ace. Both the second and third set went with serve until the final game when Kudermetova earned a break.
The ending was bitter for Muguruza. Serving to level the third set to 5-5, the Spaniard served three double-faults in a row, handing the Russian the break and hence the match, 3-6 6-4 6-4.
This is Kudermetova’s seventh Top 10 victory and second straight win over a former world No.1, as the Russian eliminated Victoria Azarenka in the first round of Dubai.
In the quarterfinals, Kudermetova’s opponent will be Swiss lucky loser Jil Teichmann, who stunned two-time Dubai champion Elina Svitolina earlier on Wednesday.
The string of upsets continued as Petra Kvitova defeated top seed Aryna Sabalenka 6-4 6-4 to set up a quarterfinal meeting with Jelena Ostapenko, who eliminated fellow French Open champion Iga Swiatek earlier in the day.
Kvitova’s ace game was way superior to Sabalenka’s, seven to zero, but they both committed six double faults. Kvitova rallied from a break down in the second set, from that point on cruising to win in one hour and 25 minutes.
The world No.25 Kvitova now owns eleven victories over players ranked in the Top 2. For the first time since last fall has the Czech picked up back-to-back wins.
