February 20, 2017 – DUBAI, UAE:  Olympic gold medalist Monica Puig overcame a sore back as well as her opponent to reach the second round of the Dubai Duty Free Tennis Championships, beating Yaroslava Shvedova 6-3 4-6 6-4. The result left Shvedova still seeking her first win of 2017.

'Especially in the first round I think it's good to have a match that pushes you a little bit, so then you start getting into the rhythm,' said Puig, who made history last August by becoming the first Puerto Rican ever to win Olympic gold in any sport. 'You know, she's a very tricky opponent and I have played her several times. You really have to be on your toes in every point in the match. I'm just happy that I got through today.'

Puig left the court after the second set and then received treatment throughout the third, but managed to edge through against an opponent who had won both of their previous WTA main draw meetings.

'It's just some lower back soreness,' Puig explained. 'I came from Doha two days ago, so the balls are a bit different. The court is definitely much different than in Doha. It's just something that I have to go and get treatment with, but it's really no big deal.'

Peng Shuai took full advantage of her wild card, overwhelming Lesia Tsurenko 6-1 6-1 in just 55 minutes. Having won her first career title last season in Tianjin after finishing as runner-up in her previous six finals, she has kept her momentum going in 2017 by already reaching yet another final, in Taipei.

Elise Mertens became the third qualifier to reach the second round when she defeated Tsvetana Pironkova 6-3 6-2, and she was almost joined by Aryna Sabalenka who stretched Kateryna Bondarenko all the way before falling 4-6 6-4 6-3.

'Monica Puig kept us on the edge of our seats as she struggled to finish her match, and it is to her credit that her determination resulted in a hard-fought victory,' said Colm McLoughlin, Executive Vice Chairman and CEO of Dubai Duty Free, the tournament owners and organisers. 'It was very satisfying as well to see Shuai Peng enjoy such an emphatic victory after a serious back injury kept her off of the WTA Tour for a long period.'

The top eight seeds received first round byes and will be in action from Tuesday. They include US Open champion and world number two Angelique Kerber, 2017 Brisbane and Doha champion Karolina Pliskova, WTA Finals winner Dominika Cibulkova, French Open champion Garbine Muguruza, and former Dubai winner Agnieszka Radwanska.

'We have already enjoyed an exciting first two days of the tournament and there is much more to come,' said tournament director Salah Tahlak. 'The top seeds will be finding their feet in Dubai and will be wary of opposition which has already adapted well to the conditions and come through the opening round. It will be interesting to see if any suffer an early defeat against their match-tough opponents.'

The Dubai Duty Free Tennis Championships is owned and organised by Dubai Duty Free, and held under the patronage of H. H. Sheikh Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum, Vice-President and Prime Minister of the UAE and Ruler of Dubai.

Tickets for every day of the event including the finals are still available from the Box Office at the Dubai Tennis Stadium, Garhoud which opens from 9am to 9pm daily.