Sofia Kenin of the US returns the ball to Kazakhstan's Elena Rybakina during the WTA Dubai Duty Free Tennis Championship, at the Dubai Tennis Stadium in the United Arab Emirates, on Feb 18, 2020. (KARIM SAHIB / AFP)

BEIJING - Newly-crowned Australia Open champion Sofia Kenin was defeated by Elena Rybakina 6-7 (2), 6-3, 6-3 in her opening match of the Dubai WTA Championship on Wednesday.

The American rising star, who just won her first Grand Slam title in the Australian Open this month, was unexpectedly defeated by the Kazakh player.

ALSO READ: Former No.1 Clijsters loses first match after return to WTA Tour

Kazakhstan's Elena Rybakina returns the ball to Sofia Kenin of the US during the WTA Dubai Duty Free Tennis Championship, at the Dubai Tennis Stadium in the United Arab Emirates, on Feb 18, 2020. (KARIM SAHIB / AFP)

"There's a bit more pressure coming from my side (after first Grand Slam win). But I've just got to try to manage it for the next tournaments," said Kenin. "I just didn't feel my game really well. I just made too many unforced errors, I didn't take my chances. I felt really off the whole match."