WTA roundup: Sabalenka stunned in Dubai as Paolini's title defence ends in injury
World No. 1 Aryna Sabalenka suffered a shock defeat in the Dubai Championships, falling 6-3, 6-2 to Denmark’s Clara Tauson in the last 16 on Wednesday. The loss marks Sabalenka’s second consecutive early exit, following her opening-match defeat in Qatar last week.
Tauson, ranked 38th, had previously lost to Sabalenka in last month’s Australian Open but turned the tables this time, breaking the top seed’s serve six times. The Danish rising star will now face Czech talent Linda Noskova in the quarter-finals after Noskova eliminated fifth seed Jessica Pegula in straight sets.
Tauson has been in strong form this season, having won the Auckland title in January and reaching the semi-finals in Linz earlier this month. She also holds a recent victory over Noskova, having beaten her in the Australian Open’s first round.
Meanwhile, defending champion Jasmine Paolini saw her campaign end in disappointment. The Italian, seeded fourth, lost 6-4, 6-0 to American Sofia Kenin in just over an hour.
Kenin stormed to a 5-2 lead in the opening set and never looked back. Paolini’s hopes of a comeback were crushed when she suffered a painful fall early in the second set, rolling her right ankle mid-rally. She played on but was visibly struggling.
For Kenin, this victory was a milestone, marking her first win over a top-five opponent since her 2020 Australian Open triumph. Her reward is a quarter-final clash against sixth seed Elena Rybakina, who battled past Paula Badosa in a thrilling 4-6, 7-6(8), 7-6(2) victory.
Paolini’s elimination came after a challenging start to her title defence. In Tuesday’s rain-delayed match, she had reached match point against German qualifier Eva Lys before play was suspended. Over four hours later, she returned to secure a 6-2, 7-5 victory.
Elsewhere, Olympic champion Zheng Qinwen also exited in the second round, falling in three sets to American Peyton Stearns. The 23-year-old Stearns, ranked 46th, fought back from a set down to defeat Zheng 3-6, 6-4, 6-4 in a rain-affected match. However, Stearns’ run ended later in the day as she lost 6-1, 6-1 to 12th seed Mirra Andreeva, who now faces second seed Iga Świątek in the quarter-finals.
Świątek, who reached the Australian Open semi-finals last month, overcame Ukraine’s Dayana Yastremska with a dominant finish, winning the last eight games for a 7-5, 6-0 victory.
In other action, eighth seed Emma Navarro battled past Abu Dhabi Open champion Belinda Bencic 7-6(6), 2-6, 6-3 to reach the last 16. However, she was later defeated by Sorana Cîrstea, who secured the final quarter-final spot with a hard-fought 7-6, 3-6, 7-5 win.
Off the court, former US Open champion Emma Raducanu experienced a distressing moment during her match against Karolína Muchová on Tuesday. The 22-year-old Briton was reduced to tears on court, appearing visibly shaken as she took refuge behind the umpire’s chair before returning to play.
The Women’s Tennis Association (WTA) later confirmed that Raducanu was targeted by "a man who exhibited fixated behavior" in the stands. The organization stated that it would ban the individual following the security incident in Dubai.
SportsLigue