Wozniacki wins in straight sets in Dubai

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DUBAI, United Arab Emirates, Feb. 22 (UPI) -- Third-seeded Caroline Wozniacki posted a solid straight-set win Wednesday in a second-round match of the Dubai Duty Free Tennis Championships.

Wozniacki defeated Simona Halep 6-2, 6-3 behind a service game in which she won nearly 70 percent of the points.

She broke open the first set by winning the last four games and then took the first three of the second set. Halep managed a pair of breaks to keep close but Wozniacki had three in the set and five on the day in the win.

World No. 1 Victoria Azarenka, 17-0 on the year, withdrew because of an ankle injury suffered last week at Qatar. She was to have played her first match in Dubai Wednesday. The tournament earlier lost world No. 3 Petra Kvitova, who withdrew because of illness.

Sabine Lisicki took Kvitova's place in the draw and posted a 6-3, 6-3 win over Iveta Benesova Wednesday. However, Julia Goerges wiped out Azarenka's place-holder, Casey Dellacqua, 6-0, 6-2 in 45 minutes.

Fourth-seeded Samantha Stosur topped Lucie Safarova 6-1, 6-7 (5-7), 6-1 and No. 5-seeded Agnieszka Radwanska was a 7-5, 6-4 winner over Shahar Peer while eighth-seeded Jelena Jankovic beat Flavia Pennetta 6-4, 6-2.

Also Wednesday, Daniela Hantuchova advanced over Peng Shuai 7-5, 6-2 and Ana Ivanovic got by Maria Kirilenko 6-2, 7-6 (7-4).