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Australian Open champion Aryna Sabalenka struggled in blustery conditions and crashed to a 6-7 (5/7), 6-3, 6-0 second-round defeat to unseeded Donna Vekić on her return to action at the Dubai Tennis Championships.
Sabalenka, who won her second major singles title at Melbourne Park last month, looked on track for a routine victory against Vekić after claiming a tight opening set and grabbing an early break in the second.
Vekić, who came into the contest having won five of her previous seven meetings with the world number two, was one point away from going 3-0 down in the second set but came up with a superb sliced winner from deep to draw level at deuce.
It proved to be the turning point of the match, as Vekić won 12 of the next 13 games to secure the victory and set up a clash with Sorana Cîrstea, who beat Veronika Kudermetova 6-1, 6-4.
"I feel the conditions here don't fit me well at all," said Sabalenka, who was awarded a bye in the first round.
It's really tricky for me to compete here in Dubai. A really tricky court for me.
"The whole match I was leading, I was winning. I won the first set. I was up with break. I didn't feel like I was up. The level was so bad today from me.
"She also didn't play her best. At the end, she stepped in and started playing aggressively because she saw I'm not playing my best at all."
Vekić, ranked 31 in the world, said she never lost self-belief, despite being a set and a break down.
"In tennis, I swear it's not over until it's over," she said.
"Matches can turn around with one point.
"To be honest, I wasn't really thinking … these big leads don't mean nothing anymore. You just focus and play each game as if it's the last."
World number one Iga Świątek and third seed Coco Gauff both won their opening matches in straight sets after being given byes in the first round.
Świątek beat former US Open champion Sloane Stephens 6-4, 6-4, while Gauff defeated Elisabetta Cocciaretto 6-1, 7-5.
Reuters