Belinda Bencic’s title defence campaign in Dubai has been halted at the very first hurdle as the Swiss player failed to capitalise on a blistering start and fell to Anastasia Pavlyuchenkova 1-6 6-1 6-1.

The fourth-ranked Bencic won the first 19 consecutive points of the match and took a commanding one-set lead in 24 minutes against the recent Australian Open quarter-finalist on Tuesday.

Pavlyuchenkova, who won just 10 points in total in the first set, upped her game in the second, after trading breaks with Bencic in the first two games.

The 28-year-old Russian dropped just four points on her first serve throughout the set and broke Bencic four times to level the match.

Pavlyuchenkova found her return game and barely looked back, converting her third match point on a netted backhand from the No.4 seed.

“I’m really, really happy with my performance, well not the first set, but the other two,” the 31st-ranked Pavlyuchenkova said.

“I had to play my best today because she’s the defending champion, feels very good here and obviously a very, very good player.”

The Russian now awaits the winner of the first round between Sorana Cirstea and Anett Kontaveit.

Meanwhile Elina Svitolina admitted she is searching for answers after her early-season woes continued with a 6-2 6-1 opening round defeat to Jennifer Brady.

The world No.6, who ended 2019 by making the championship match at the WTA Finals in Shenzhen, has had sub-par results so far this year and surrendered in just 60 minutes to the 52nd-ranked Brady.

“I’m trying still to find what’s going on, what I have to add to improve,” an inconsolable Svitolina told reporters in Dubai – a place where she has lifted the trophy twice, in 2017 and 2018.

“It’s very tough to pick one thing. I think just everything has to come together. I have to be stronger physically. I have to be in a better shape.”

The 24-year-old Brady, who hasn’t dropped a set through three qualifying matches in Dubai this week, posted the second top-10 win of her career, and second of the year, having dispatched world No.1 Ashleigh Barty in Brisbane last month.

The American, who started working with German coach Michael Geserer towards the end of last season, credits having a new team for her recent surge in form.

“I think we all believe in the same things and just want to get better each and every day,” said Brady, who next takes on Czech Roland Garros finalist Marketa Vondrousova.