Svitolina close to tears over ‘very tough’ loss in Dubai

  DUBAI - Elina Svitolina led a procession of seeds out of the Dubai Duty Free Tennis Championships on Tuesday (March 9), losing 2-6 6-4 6-1 to former three-time finalist Svetlana Kuznetsova. Kuznetsova, who has more wins in Dubai than any other active player, appeared to be on her way out of the tournament, but turned the tables on her opponent in dramatic fashion. From 4-4 in the second set she swept the next seven games to lead 5-0 in the deciding set and closed out the contest on her third match point. Kuznetsova was in despair during the early stage of the match but stuck to her task and managed to turn things around. "I was feeling so stressed out there in the first set," said Kuznetsova. "I couldn't make any balls. The feeling was terrible and I was just focussing on trying to make two or three shots in to see how I can go, how I can regroup." Svitolina looked close to tears as the match slipped away from her and said, "She was serving much better in the second set and I missed a few opportunities, but she played really good on the returns and it was not a great response from me.” “Obviously the loss is very tough because I think I started the match quite good and I was feeling good going into the tournament and I really love to play here in Dubai, so I'm disappointed that it went that way," she said. ICA/Expat Media
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