Dubai Duty Free Championships: Bencic battles past Kostyuk to reach last 16 in 3-hour, 27-minute epic

Swiss Belinda Bencic, the No 8 seed, edged out Ukrainian wildcard Marta Kostyuk 6-7 (7), 7-6 (5), 6-4 to reach the last 16 of the Dubai Duty Free Championships at The Aviation Club Tennis Centre on Tuesday.

Bencic, ranked No 9, will play Czech Karolina Muchova next.

Kostyuk, ranked No 55, beat Turk wildcard Ipek Oz (4-6, 6-4, 6-2) in the previous round.

Dubai WTA 1000, other second-round results (The Aviation Club Tennis Centre, hard, USD 2.788.468, most recent results first):

• Aliaksandra Sasnovich vs. Coco Gauff
• Elena Rybakina vs. Marie Bouzkova
• Iga Swiatek vs. Leylah Fernandez: tuesday
• Aryna Sabalenka (2) beat Lauren Davis (LL): 6-0, 6-1
• Jelena Ostapenko (13) beat Linda Fruhvirtova (WC): 6-2, 6-0
• Ana Bogdan (Q) beat Shelby Rogers: 7-6 (3), 6-3
• Petra Kvitova (12) beat Yulia Putintseva: 6-4, 6-4
• Jessica Pegula (3) beat Viktoriya Tomova (Q): 6-2, 5-7, 6-1
• Qinwen Zheng vs. Liudmila Samsonova
• Karolina Muchova beat Sorana Cirstea: 6-4, 7-6 (4)
• Victoria Azarenka (15) beat Amanda Anisimova: 4-6, 6-4, 7-6 (5)
• Madison Keys beat Caroline Garcia (4): 7-5, 6-4
• Karolina Pliskova beat Maria Sakkari (6): 6-1, 6-2
• Barbora Krejcikova beat Daria Kasatkina (7): 6-4, 4-6, 7-5
• Anhelina Kalinina beat Dayana Yastremska (Q): 5-7, 6-2, 6-3