Australian Open champion Aryna Sabalenka suffered a shock 6-7 (5-7) 6-3 6-0 defeat to Donna Vekic at the Dubai Duty Free Tennis Championships on Tuesday.
Vekic broke world No 2 Sabalenka seven times and won 12 out of the last 13 games on her way to a stunning victory in two hours and 22 minutes to advance into the final 16 of the prestigious 1000 tournament.
The result is Vekic’s sixth win in eight encounters with Sabalenka dating back to 2016.
“It’s a pretty big win. She’s had an amazing start to the year and she’s a great player but I’m really happy to win. I knew I had to bring my best tennis to beat her so I’m happy it worked out for me today,” said the Croatian world No 31.
Vekic will next face Sorana Cirstea, who defeated No.13 seed Veronika Kudermetova 6-1 6-4.
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