Mauresmo eases through in Dubai

AMELIE MAURESMO barely broke sweat in cruising past Vera Dushevina to secure a place in the quarter-finals of the Dubai Tennis Championships yesterday.

The Frenchwoman wasn’t due to take part in the United Arab Emirates, but she accepted a late invitation to be added to the field after fellow big-draws Serena Williams and Maria Sharapova pulled out suffering from ‘flu and a hamstring injury respectively.

She is certainly making the most of the opportunity and, having received a first round bye, proved too strong for qualifier Dushevina, beating the Russian 6-2 6-2.