Rybakina storms into 3rd round, Filipina star Eala wins; Gauff beats Kalinskaya

Australian Open winner and top seed Elena Rybakina delivered a commanding performance at the Dubai Duty Free Tennis Championships, brushing aside qualifier Kimberly Birrell 6-1, 6-2 at the Centre Court on Tuesday in exactly one hour.

Making her intention clear, the World No. 3 from Kazakhstan set the tone early with a five-game streak, ultimately serving out the first set in the seventh game.

She carried that momentum into the second set, racing to a 5-1 lead with another dominant run and ultimately sealed the victory.

Earlier, Coco Gauff and several other top seeds also including Jessica Pegula, Iva Jovic, Mirra Andreeva, Elina Svitrolina and Belinda Bencic, reached the Round of 16.

American star and third seed Gauff gained a sweet revenge over Anna Kalinskaya with a 6-4, 6-4 victory. The Russian had beaten Gauff at this event two years ago, helping fuel a breakout run into her first WTA 1000 final.

The match unfolded under challenging wind conditions, which repeatedly disrupted rhythm for both. Kalinskaya, determined and aggressive from the baseline, jumped out to early leads in each set and looked to dictate play with flat, penetrating groundstrokes. But midway through the first set, she was forced to take a medical timeout for a left-leg issue while trailing 4-3 - a moment that visibly affected her movement the rest of the match.

While Gauff never truly found sustained fluidity - her serve betrayed her at times and she sprinkled in a number of unforced errors - her resilience showed through in key moments. She rallied from deficits in both sets, using her return game to stay in points and pounce when opportunities presented.

Despite serving 12 double faults and coughing up a handful of mistakes, Gauff's ability to weather pressure and capitalize on a slightly compromised Kalinskaya helped her edge through in just over an hour and a half.

"It wasn't the prettiest one, but it was enough for today," Gauff acknowledged in her on-court interview. "It was pretty windy. I was just trying to adjust -- both of us were struggling with consistency on the court.

She termed her victory a much-needed confidence boost following her recent setbacks in the quarter-finals of the Australian Open and in Doha, where she fell to Elina Svitolina.

"I'm just trying to find my rhythm again, which isn't always easy," she said. "Anna (Kalinskaya) is a really tough competitor - she's taken out plenty of top players and beat me here a couple of years back. So I'm pleased with how I handled things today. Winning on a day when you don't feel close to your best... that's what I'm most proud of."

Up next for Gauff will be a clash against Elise Mertens, who dismantled 14th seed Emma Navarro 6-2, 6-2 in just 75 minutes.

Fourth seed Pegula advanced after dispatching qualifier Varvara Gracheva 6-4, 6-0. She was quickly off the block and opened with a lead before a brief wobble allowed Gracheva to narrow the gap to 4-3.

Later, the World No. 4 from US sharpened her precision, raised the tempo, and proceeded to win the next nine games in a row and left the French with virtually no chance to respond, closing out the match with complete authority.

She will next meet Iva Jovic, who overcame a set deficit to beat Diana Shnaider 6-4, 1-6, 6-0. After taking the first set 6-4, she faltered in the second against the fierce shot-making of Shnaider.

Raising her level, Jovic stormed through the deciding set 6-0 with fearless hitting and a flurry of winners.

Last year's runner-up, Carla Tauson marched into the next round after cruising to a composed 6-2, 6-4 victory over Peyton Stearns.

Having already dismissed Sofia Kenin in the opening round, Tauson now earns a tantalising showdown with Poland's giant-slayer Magda Linette, who toppled World No. 12 and eight seed Ekaterina Alexandrova 6-2, 4-6, 6-1.

Linette swept through the opening set 6-2 with, only for the Russian to wrestle back momentum and snatch the second 6-4. The Polish dominated the decider, sealing the match 6-1 behind sharp returns.

Antonia Ruzic, the lucky loser who stunned Emma Raducanu on Monday, continued her impressive run as the Croatian overcame Anastasia Zakharova 6-1, 6-7, 6-1.

Andreeva, Bencic and Svitolina move through via walkovers: 2019 Dubai champion Bencic progressed without striking a ball when Czech wildcard Sara Bejlek withdrew due to injury.

Reigning champion Andreeva advanced the same way after the withdrawal of Daria Kasatkina. 2017 and 2018 champion Svitolina moved ahead after her second-round clash with Paula Badosa ended prematurely as the latter forced to retire due to leg issue following the opening set.