Unheralded American Madison Brengle recovered from a second set collapse to cause the first upset of the Dubai Duty Free Tennis Championships as she beat former top 10 player Ekaterina Makarova in the first round at the Dubai Tennis Stadium on Monday.

The world number 60 needed one break of serve to clinch the first set but then found herself trailing 1-4 in the second set only to stage a stunning comeback and take the match 6-4 7-5.

"Well I called my coach out when I was down 4-1 and she just basically said to just keep it simple and get your legs going again. That's what was working well for me in the first set. I was moving my legs well and I thought I maybe got a little too stiff to start the second. When I picked up my footwork everything started working well again" the 25-year-old player said in the post-match Press conference.

It's Brengle's first appearance at the Dubai championships and she says her experience so far has been very nice. "It was a little windy today but it's a great tournament. The stadium court is beautiful. I got to hit on it the first time this morning. It's nice. I like how everything is set up with the courts and the grass area to warm up. It's really nice."

Two-time Wimbledon champion Petra Kovitiva awaits Brengle in the second round. "Lefties" she smiled.

"I played (Angelique) Kerber twice in Australia and I'm playing all the lefties. "She (Kvitova) is a very very tough player and the serve it's tough. She hits the ball big. We played on the clay court last time so it's different. "Yeah I will do my best. I will try and keep my legs going with me the whole time" said Brengle who hit four aces in her win over Makarova the 2014 Wimbledon semifinalist.

The Dover-born player then revealed how she spent the Valentine's Day in Dubai.

"We went to the Dubai Mall. For someone who loves to shop that was cool. We then went to see a movie there -- How to Be Single. It was like a fun one to see for Valentine's Day!"