DUBAI, UAE – Kristina Mladenovic set up a second-round showdown with Qatar Total Open champion Karolina Pliskova after defeating Katerina Siniakova 6-3, 6-3 at the Dubai Duty Free Tennis Championships.

“It was a very difficult match, I think she is about a similar ranking to me and I never won against her so the score may have looked easy but we played for an hour and a half,” said Mladenovic. “I am very happy about my performance and very glad to be back in Dubai, I have great memories especially winning the doubles here last year and it’s a home tournament for me. I moved here a couple of years ago and I’m loving it.”

Siniakova had won the previous two meetings between the players but it was the 2017 St Petersburg champion who started faster, breaking her younger opponent in the opening game and twice more to win opening set 6-3.

.@KiKiMladenovic in full flight! #DDFTennis pic.twitter.com/Fz8tMKyVMg

— WTA (@WTA) February 20, 2017

The Czech began the season by winning her maiden WTA Tour title in Shenzhen but had no answer to Mladenovic’s effective all-court game, the Frenchwoman breaking early in the second set and hanging on to secure an intriguing second-round tie against in-form Pliskova.

“First of all she is a good friend of mine and we always had tough battles in the past, especially in the final of the Fed Cup I think we played four hours,” added Mladenovic. “Everybody knows about Kara, she’s on fire, winning last week for her second title of the season.

“For sure, it’s going to be a difficult match but I’m going to prepare the best I can. She just won in Doha, so she will feel great, obviously. And here, the conditions are also great for her. I will need to play a bit better than today.”