Canada's Leylah Fernandez rallied from a set down to defeat No. 13 seed Liudmila Samsonova 5-7, 7-5, 6-3 in the first round of the Dubai Duty Free Tennis Championships. The 2021 US Open finalist saved 10 of 13 break points to secure the three-set victory. Earlier, Sara Bejlek and Alexandra Eala won their main-draw debuts at the WTA 1000 event.
On Sunday, February 15, 2026, the Dubai Duty Free Tennis Championships kicked off with several notable first-round matches at the WTA 1000 tournament in Dubai, United Arab Emirates.
Leylah Fernandez of Canada, unseeded, overcame an early deficit against Russia's Liudmila Samsonova, the No. 13 seed. Fernandez, from Laval, Quebec, won 5-7, 7-5, 6-3 in a match lasting two hours and 52 minutes. She fired seven aces and committed three double faults, converting four of nine break-point opportunities while saving 10 of Samsonova's 13 break points. Samsonova had four aces and five double faults, dropping to 0-5 in three-set matches for the season.
Fernandez advances to face Indonesia's Janice Tjen on Monday, seeking redemption after a loss to Tjen at the Australian Open.
In other action, 20-year-old Sara Bejlek, fresh off her Abu Dhabi title, defeated Turkey's Zeynep Sonmez 6-2, 6-2 in 1 hour and 15 minutes. Both wild cards hit 15 winners and five double faults, but Bejlek converted six of 10 break points. "Mentally, it was a very tough match, so I'm happy with how I managed it," Bejlek said in her on-court interview, marking her eighth straight win in the Middle East.
Crowd favorite Alexandra Eala, ranked No. 40, advanced when American Hailey Baptiste retired at 6-4, 0-1 due to an abdominal injury. Eala, in her Dubai main-draw debut, expressed hope for Baptiste's recovery: "No one likes advancing in this way... I really hope that Hailey is OK."
Meanwhile, Indonesia's Janice Tjen cruised past Ukraine's Dayana Yastremska 6-4, 6-1, winning nearly 80% of her service points.
The tournament continues with more first-round matches on Monday, including fellow Canadian Victoria Mboko against Jaqueline Cristian.