DUBAI: Coco Gauff bounced back from her shock early exit in Doha last week with a comfortable victory over Anna Kalinskaya at the WTA 1000 event in Dubai on Tuesday.
The American, who lost to lucky loser Elisabetta Cocciaretto in her opening match in Qatar, made no such mistake against Kalinskaya, easing through the second-round tie 6-4, 6-4.
Gauff will face Belgian Elise Mertens in the last 16.
The two-time Grand Slam champion created headlines earlier this week for comments about anti-immigration policies in the United States, saying: "I don't think people should be dying in the streets for just existing."
Gauff struggled at times in Dubai, serving 12 double-faults, but broke Russian Kalinskaya's serve six times to emerge victorious from a scrappy encounter.
"It wasn't the prettiest one, but it was enough for today," Gauff, seeded third, said.
"It was pretty windy. I was just trying to adjust — both of us were struggling with consistency on the court."
Mirra Andreeva and Belinda Bencic were both beneficiaries of second-round walkovers.
Russian teenager Andreeva, who received a first-round bye, will face Romanian Jaqueline Cristian for a quarter-final place after Daria Kasatkina pulled out with a hip injury.
In-form Czech youngster Sara Bejlek, who won a title in Abu Dhabi earlier this month, also withdrew with an abdominal injury, handing Bencic a spot in round three.
American fourth seed Jessica Pegula cruised through with a 6-4, 6-0 thrashing of Varvara Gracheva and will next play compatriot Iva Jovic.
The tournament in Dubai, one of the 10 WTA 1000 competitions, has been severely hit by the withdrawals of world number one Aryna Sabalenka and six-time Grand Slam champion Iga Swiatek.
Second seed Amanda Anisimova had also been given a walkover on Monday after her second-round opponent Barbora Krejcikova pulled out.
Canadian teenager Victoria Mboko, who reached the Qatar Open final last week, also withdrew ahead of the tournament, citing an elbow injury. — AFP
Oman Observer is now on the WhatsApp channel. Click here
