Tennis: Simona Halep beats Lesia Tsurenko 6-3, 7-5 in Dubai second round

Simona Halep moved through to the quarter-finals at the Dubai Tennis Championships after a straight sets 6-3, 7-5 victory over Lesia Tsurenko. The first set was defined by poor serving. Both players started well, but then six of the last seven games were breaks of serve. Halep, the world number two, was broken twice, but still managed to win the first set 6-3 in just 36 minutes, and looked to be cruising through to the last eight. A further five breaks of serve followed in the second, and at one stage Tsurenko served for the set which would have forced a decider. The 2015 champion fought back to win the next three games to record a straight sets victory over the Ukrainian. The Romanian will now face either Aryna Sabalenka or Belinda Bencic for a place in the semi-finals.