Caroline Wozniacki excels in Dubai

Caroline Wozniacki put in a typically dominant performance as she eased into the next round of the Dubai Duty Free Tennis Championships.The Danish star beat Lucie Safarova 6-2, 6-2 in exactly an hour and she showed exactly why many people are tipping her to succeed in the UAE competition.Currently rated as the tenth best player on the planet, Wozniacki will be desperate to put a run together to aid her quest of rising to the top of the female rankings again.The 22-year-old will have to overcome some very tough opposition if she is to triumph in Dubai, though.World number one Serena Williams is just one of the players standing in the Dane's way and the American is thrilled to be back in Dubai.This is one of very few tournaments that the talented star has yet to win in her career to date."I'm still hungry, particularly for this one as I've not won it before," Williams remarked."You feel you've made it if you make it to Dubai. Where I'm from Dubai is the city where you want to travel to. It's like, 'Wow, you've been to Dubai! What's it like?' They have all these buildings and all these malls so it's really the place to go."The fact that internationally recognised names like Serena Williams are so complimentary of Dubai highlights just how highly respected the city is in the sporting world.Tennis fans have already seen some top-class action since the tournament started at the start of this week (February 18th) and levels of anticipation are building each day.Sadly, one person who will not be challenging for the title with Wozniacki and Williams is Victoria Azarenka, who has unfortunately been forced to withdraw because of a foot injury.Despite this big disappointment, tournament director Salah Tahlak insisted there is still a "stellar field" and the 2013 Dubai Duty Free Tennis Championships will be a memorable occasion nevertheless.