Japanese qualifier Moyuka Uchijima upset 2022 champion Jelena Ostapenko 6-3 6-3 at the Dubai Duty Free Tennis Championships to clinch the first top 30 win of her career.
Uchijima converted her third break point in the first game of the opening game. Ostapenko broke straight back in the second game. Uchijima reeled off four consecutive games with two breaks of serve to win the first set 6-3. The Japanese player raced out to a 4-0 lead with two breaks of serve. Ostapenko pulled one break back in the fifth game. Uchijima served out the win on her second match point setting up a second round match against Elena Rybakina.
Shortly afterwards McCartney Kessler beat Amanda Anisimova 6-2 6-3 to claim the first top 20 win of her career.
Anisimova is making her top 20 debut at world number 18 after winning her WTA career title in Doha last week and her first at WTA 1000 level. The US player committed seven double faults against this year’s Hobart champion McCartney Kessler, who will face number 3 seed Coco Gauff.
Kessler broke twice in the fifth and seventh games to win the first set 6-2. She went up a double break in the first and seventh games to open up a 5-2 lead. Anisimova pulled one break back in the eighth game for 3-5, but Kessler broke for the third time on her first match point. “Mentally, I was looking forward to it. Obviously I have confidence right now. But flying and not being able to test out the conditions — I didn’t step out on the court at all ahead of the match. Physically I was having a very hard time. I didn’t sleep much the last few nights. I was in a little bit of pain”, said Anisimova.
