Dubai Open: Rybakina makes last 16 after Azarenka retirement

Kazakh Elena Rybakina, the No 4 seed, moved into the last 16 of the Dubai Open when Belarusian Victoria Azarenka retired on Tuesday at The Aviation Club Tennis Centre.

Rybakina, ranked No 4, led 4-6, 6-2 when Azarenka, ranked No 27, pulled out on Tuesday afternoon at The Aviation Club Tennis Centre.

The Kazakh will play Pole qualifier Magdalena Frech next.

In the previous round of the Dubai tournament, the 34-year-old Belarusian beat Dutchwoman Arantxa Rus (6-2, 6-4).

Dubai WTA 1000, other second-round results (The Aviation Club Tennis Centre, hard, USD 3.211.715, most recent results first):

• Coco Gauff vs. Elisabetta Cocciaretto
• Iga Swiatek vs. Sloane Stephens
• Karolina Pliskova vs. Ashlyn Krueger
• Nao Hibino vs. Qinwen Zheng
• Jelena Ostapenko (9) beat Lulu Sun (WC): 6-4, 6-3
• Anastasia Potapova beat Lucia Bronzetti (LL): 6-0, 6-3
• Elina Svitolina (15) beat Tatjana Maria: 6-3, 6-3
• Sorana Cirstea beat Veronika Kudermetova (13): 6-1, 6-4
• Anna Kalinskaya (Q) beat Cristina Bucsa (LL): 6-3, 6-4
• Anastasia Pavlyuchenkova vs. Liudmila Samsonova
• Donna Vekic beat Aryna Sabalenka (2): 6-7 (5), 6-3, 6-0
• Magdalena Frech beat Petra Martic: 6-4, 1-6, 6-2
• Marketa Vondrousova (7) beat Peyton Stearns: 6-1, 5-7, 6-2
• Jasmine Paolini beat Leylah Fernandez: 6-3, 6-4
• Maria Sakkari (8) beat Emma Navarro: 6-2, 6-4