Ana Ivanovic eliminated defending champion Simona Halep from the Dubai Tennis Championship, booking her place in the quarter-finals with a straight-sets victory.

The Serbian beat Daria Gavrilova in under an hour on Tuesday and carried that form into her meeting with the world number three.

Halep began positively, breaking the Serbian – ranked 17th in the world – in her first service game, but play was soon delayed due to light rainfall.

Ivanovic was seen complaining to coach Nigel Sears about the condition of the court once play resumed, but she overcame her concerns, breaking back before taking the first set via a tie-break.

The Serbian continued her impressive showing in the second set, Halep winning just seven points out of a possible 16 from her first serve.

Ivanovic took full advantage by racing to victory in comfortable fashion, triumphing 7-6 (7-2) 6-2.