Ward exits in Dubai

James Ward was knocked out of the Dubai Duty Free Tennis Championships in the second round on Wednesday, losing in straight sets to Russia's Mikhail Youzhny.

Ward, who was a wild card for the event and beat another Russian in Teymuraz Gabashvili in the opening round, lost 6-1 7-6 (7/3) to sixth seed Youzhny.

Youzhny eased through the opening set with two breaks of serve, but the second was a much tighter affair as Ward improved his first serve percentage from 40 to 61

The players exchanged one break of serve before the decisive tie-break, which Youzhny won 7-3 to book his place in the next round.