Heather Watson suffers early exit at Dubai Duty Free Championships

British number one Heather Watson has suffered a first-round defeat to Kateryna Kozlova at the Dubai Duty Free Championships.

Watson was beaten in straight sets on Monday in what was her first match since the Australian Open.

There was little to separate the two players during the contest, but world number 132 Kozlova eventually came through 6-4 7-5.

Watson was beaten in the opening round of last month's Australian Open by Tsvetana Pironkova, though her performance was hindered by illness.