Simona Halep, winner in Dubai in 2015, edged Eugenie Bouchard 7-6 (7-4) 6-4 after 1 hour and 42 minutes at the Dubai Duty Free Tennis Tournament to score her fourth win in her five head-to-head matches against the Canadian player. Halep clinched the 200th main draw win of her career
Bouchard served at only 46 % and saved five of the seven break points she faced. The Canadian broke serve once on her only break point chance, but Halep converted two of her seven break points.
Halep got the first break in the sixth game of the first set to take a 4-2 lead, but Bouchard broke straight back in the next game. Halep held a break point in the eighth game, but she did not convert it. Bouchard held serve to draw level to 4-4. Halep got a mini-break on the sixth point to open up a 4-2 lead with a forehand down the line winner. Bouchard got the mini-break back with a forehand.
Halep closed out the tie-break 7-4 in just under an hour, when Bouchard made a drive volley error.
Halep did not face a break point in the second set and earned a break in the opening game with a backhand return winner on the break point and held her service game with a forehand passing shot winner to open up a 2-0 lead. Bouchard saved two break points in the third game, but she did not earn a break point in the third game.
The Romanian player earned two match points in the tenth game. She did not convert her first chance with a double fault, but she closed out the match in the tenth game on the second chance after Bouchard hit her service return long.
Halep will face either Lesla Tsurenko or Chinese qualifier Zhu Lin.
Petra Kvitova came back from one set down to beat Katerina Siniakova 6-7 (3-7) 6-4 6-4 in an all Czech head-to-head match.
Siniakova broke serve in the third game, when Kvitova hit her forehand into the net. Kvitova wasted four break points in the next games and left Siniakova serve for the first set at 5-4, but Kvitova broke back with a backhand down the line winner. Siniakova hit a service winner to clinch the tie-break 7-3.
Kvitova fended off both break points she faced in the second set and broke serve at the start of the second set with a volley winner. Kvitova saved break points in the fourth and sixth games and sealed the second set with an ace.
Both players held their service games until the ninth game, when Siniakova dropped her serve after sending a backhand long. Kvitova closed out the match with a volley winner in the tenth game to reach the Round of 16.
Angelique Kerber beat Slovenian lucky loser Dalila Jakupovic 7-6 (7-4) 6-3 to reach the third round. Jakupovic went up a double break to open up a 4-1 lead, when Kerber made a double fault on the break point. Jakupovic hit an ace to hold serve for 5-1 on game point. Kerber pulled one break back in the seventh game with consecutive winners. Kerber held serve for 5-4 with a forehand winner down the line before breaking serve to draw level to 5-5, after Jakukovic made a double faul on break point. Jakupovic broke serve at love, when Kerber made two consecutive double faults. Jakupovic wasted two set points, as she was serving for the set for the third time. Both players went on serve until 4-4, before Kerber hit a forehand winner to take a 5-4 lead. Kerber won the final two points, when Jakupovic made two unforced errors.
Jakupovic saved three break points in her first two service games of the second set to keep pace with Kerber until 3-3. Kerber broke serve in to take a 4-3 lead. Kerber earned three match points, but she did not convert her first chance, when Jakupovic netted a service return. The German sealed the win on the second match point, when Jakupovic made a forehand wide.
Garbine Muguruza beat Saisai Zhang 7-5 6-2. The Spaniard came back from 3-5 down in the first set by winning nine consecutive games to seal the win in straight sets.
