Tennis: Osaka knocked out of Dubai Tennis Championships

World number one Naomi Osaka crashed out of the Dubai Tennis Championships, losing 6-3 6-3 to former French number one Kristina Mladenovic. Mladenovic made the most of a sluggish start from her Japanese opponent, easing into a commanding 3-0 first set lead. While Osaka did show glimpses of the shot-making and enterprise that has seen her win both the US and Australian Open in recent months, her erratic serve let her down and she was broken a total of seven times throughout the course of the match. Despite the loss, Osaka will head into Indian Wells still ranked number one as she aims to secure another career milestone - a successful title defence.