Tennis - WTA 1000 - Dubai Tennis Championships - Dubai Duty Free Tennis Centre, Dubai, United Arab Emirates - February 20, 2024 Belarus' Aryna Sabalenka in action during her round of 32 match against Croatia's Donna Vekic REUTERS/Rula Rouhana
(Reuters) -Australian Open champion Aryna Sabalenka struggled in blustery conditions and crashed to a 6-7(5) 6-3 6-0 second-round defeat by Donna Vekic on her return to action at the Dubai Tennis Championships on Tuesday.
Sabalenka, who won her second Grand Slam title at Melbourne Park last month, looked on track for a routine victory after the Belarusian edged a tight opening set and grabbed an early break in the next but Vekic had other ideas.
