WTA Dubai: Julia Grabher fails again against Fernandez, Badosa and Samsonova with a crazy fight
Julia Grabher once again had to admit defeat to Leylah Fernandez in the first round of the WTA 1000 event in Dubai. Paula Badosa and Liudmila Samsonova have had the longest WTA match of the year so far.
by Michael Rothschädl
last edit: Feb 19, 2023, 05:28 pm
Believe it or not, Liudmila Samsonova and Paula Badosa battled it out for three hours and twenty-three minutes in the first round of the WTA 1000 event in Dubai before the Russian prevailed 6-4 in the decider. It is the longest WTA match of the 2023 season so far, in the first two sets every player had secured a tie-break.
Linda Fruhvirtova had already secured her ticket for the round of 32 with a two-set win over Danielle Collins, Amanda Anisimova and Marie Bouzkova. Petra Kvitova and Barbora Krejcikova are also in the second round of the top-ranked WTA 1000 event after winning two sets.
The Austrian qualifier Julia Grabher, on the other hand, has already failed: The Vorarlberg native was able to make her second duel of the season with Leylah Fernandez much more open than in the first meeting, but still had to admit defeat in two sets. The field in Dubai is led by Iga Swiatek and Aryna Sabalenka.