Sania-Elena advance to quarterfinals of Madrid Open

MADRID: Sania Mirza and her Russian partner Elena Vesnina continued their good run at the Madrid Open, storming into the quarterfinals after notching up a straight-set win over Nadia Petrova and Anastasia Rodionova.

The unseeded Indo-Russian combination recorded a 6-3, 7-5 win over the Russian-Australian pair in the second round of the euro 3,500,000 clay court event.

Sania and Elena converted all the three break chances that came their way in the first set and two of four in the second to record the win in one hour and 27 minutes.

They now have a tough job at hand as they face second seeds Kveta Peschke of Czech Republic and Katarina Serbotnik of Slovania in the last-eight round.

The second seeds saw off the challenge of Spanish team of Lourdes Lino Dominguez and Laura Pous-Tio 6-2 1-6 10-3 in their second round clash of the WTA Premier event.

Sania Mirza in second round at Dubai

Sania in second round at Dubai

Sania Mirza advanced to the second round of the Dubai Open on Monday, beating Ekaterina Makarova of Russia 7-5, 6-2.

The Indian ace, who was beaten in the final of the Pattaya Open on Sunday, overcame a sluggish start after being broken in the third game to overwhelm her opponent.

Once Sania found her rhythm, the Russian was simply demolished. After breaking back in the eight game, Sania cruised home, her strong forehand proving too much for the Russian to handle.

Meanwhile, Svetlana Kuznetsova was dumped out of the championships while Ana Ivanovic avenged her Australian Open defeat by beating Alisa Kleybanova 7-5, 6-4.

A year after reaching the final in Dubai, Kuznetsova's challenge ended in the second round when she fell 6-4, 3-6, 6-0 to fellow-Russian Elena Vesnina.

Kuznetsova failed to find any rhythm except for a short spell in the second set and in the final set qualifier Vesnina had to do little more than wait for the seventh seed to make an error.

"She played a basic game and I lost myself," Kuznetsova told reporters. "All the time unforced errors and I didn't feel anything on the court. I was so frustrated. I just wasn't there. It was horrible. I was not in control of my game at all."

Ivanovic had lost to Kleybanova in the third round in Melbourne and she was again kept under considerable pressure, especially in the second set.

Having built and lost a 4-1 lead in the opening set, the eighth-seeded Serbian broke to love to claim the set.

The former world number one had to save numerous break points against her in the second set before breaking again in the final game to seal the match.

VERY AGGRESSIVE

"I'm very happy with my game overall. I've been very aggressive and serving very well, so I'm very pleased with that," said Ivanovic, who fired 13 aces.

"I just feel confident going on the court and I'll build on this."

In first round matches, 11th seeded Frenchwoman Marion Bartoli saved three match points before edging past Japan's Ai Sugiyama 6-0, 4-6, 7-6.

Ayumi Morita capitalised on her last-minute entry into the draw by heaping more misery on 15th seed Anna Chakvetadze .

The Russian, who has won just three matches in total in her last eight tournaments stretching back to last August, was beaten 7-5, 6-2.

Japan's Morita was granted a place in the draw because Israel's Shahar Peer was forced to withdraw after she was denied a visa to enter the country.

Ninth seed Agnieszka Radwanska was defeated 6-4, 6-3 by her 121st ranked younger sister Urszula in their first meeting on the WTA Tour. But there was a reason for the upset.

"It was tough to play my sister but she's sick after coming from Paris," said Urszula of Poland.

Organisers said former champion Amelie Mauresmo, who won the Paris Open on Sunday, pulled out of the tournament.

sourcE: rediff.com

Mirza finishes runner-up at Pattaya Open

Pattaya, Feb 15 (PTI) Sania Mirza's quest for her second WTA singles title continued after the Indian ace went down fighting 5-7 1-6 against world number five and top seed Vera Zvonareva in the final of the USD 220,000 Pattaya Open here today.
Sania fought her heart out against her formidable opponent but the Russian drew from her vast experience to halt the India's brilliant run in the one hour and 17 minutes contest.

The first set was fiercely fought and both the players traded many a breaks but unforced errors in pressure situations did Sania in.

Once she lost the first set, and squandered the chance to break Zvonareva in the opening game of the second set, Sania was all but out of the match.

Nevertheless, Sania's sizzling run in the event will boost her confidence and give a fillip to her plummeting WTA ranking which is currently 126th.

Sania could have got an early lead at the start of the match as she had two break points in the opening game but squandered both. PTI

Sania finishes runner-up at Pattaya Open

Pattaya, Feb 15 (PTI) Sania Mirza's quest for her second WTA singles title continued after the Indian ace went down fighting 5-7 1-6 against world number five and top seed Vera Zvonareva in the final of the USD 220,000 Pattaya Open here today.
Sania fought her heart out against her formidable opponent but the Russian drew from her vast experience to halt the India's brilliant run in the one hour and 17 minutes contest.

The first set was fiercely fought and both the players traded many a breaks but unforced errors in pressure situations did Sania in.

Once she lost the first set, and squandered the chance to break Zvonareva in the opening game of the second set, Sania was all but out of the match.

Nevertheless, Sania's sizzling run in the event will boost her confidence and give a fillip to her plummeting WTA ranking which is currently 126th.

Sania could have got an early lead at the start of the match as she had two break points in the opening game but squandered both. PTI

Mirza storms into Pattaya Open quarters

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A confident Sania Mirza thrashed Russian qualifier Vitalia Diatchenko 6-4, 6-0 to reach the quarterfinals of the USD 220,000 Pattaya Open tennis tournament on Thursday. Vitalia (in the picture), who had upset third seeded Dominika Cibulkova of Slovakia in the first round was totally outclassed and had to surrender meekly to her Indian opponent.

Australian Open triumph would boost Indian tennis: Sania

Australian Open triumph would boost Indian tennis: Sania
Amanpreet SinghNew Delhi, Feb 1 (PTI) The feeling of creating history has started to sink in and Sania Mirza, who today became the first Indian woman Grand Slam winner, says the way the new season has started, Indian tennis is definitely in for some good time ahead.
The 22-year-old Hyderabadi ace said she is not only "enjoying" the moment of but also hoping that this feat of her, together with Mahesh Bhupathi, will further provide fillip to the game in the country.
"It took a few minutes to believe (that I have won my first Grand Slam title). It's great to be a Grand Slam winner. I am at the airport and enjoying the moment. It's a dream come true," Sania told PTI from Melbourne as she prepared to flying home back.
Sania reckoned the last few weeks have been amazing for Indian tennis and it all started with the rise of Somdev Devavrman who reached final of Chennai Open.
"Of course it was a great start with Somdev, then Yuki won yesterday and we won today. It's great to beginning to the year and I hope Indian tennis gets more fillip from these feats," she said.
Sania looked much more impressive this year and she combined excellently with Bhupathi throughout the tournament. Asked if that was the reason behind their success, the tennis ace said, "We have always complemented each other's game. Last year also we had reached the finals and it's not a joke to reach that level.
"But yes, my game has improved and I am much better physically and it always helps," she said. PTI

India shining at Oz Open, Sania-Bhupathi wins mixed doubles
Melbourne, Feb 1 (PTI) Sania Mirza today became the first Indian woman to capture a Grand Slam title after winning the Australian Open mixed doubles trophy with compatriot Mahesh Bhupathi, whose bulging Grand Slam kitty grew fat to 11 crowns.The Indian wild card pair crushed Andy Ram and Nathalie Dechy 6-3 6-1 in just 55 minutes here.

This victory came a day after India had found a new singles Open champion in Yuki Bhambri, who lifted the junior title, thus capping the country's campaign at the first Grand Slam of the year on a high note.

It was Sania and Bhupathi's first Grand Slam title together. They had ended runners-up here last year.

Sania, who already has many firsts to her credit as far as women's tennis in the country is concerned, has made a fantastic start to the season after coming through the wrist injury, which marred her 2008 campaign.

The win also gave Bhupathi his seventh title in mixed doubles overall and second at the Australian Open, following his 2006 triumph with Martina Hingis.
They also got richer by 1,34,460 Australian dollars.
Basking in her new-found Australian Open glory, Sania said she now expects Indian tennis to reach the next level after the slew of excellent shows in the first Grand Slam of the Year.
"It is (a very good tournament for Indian tennis.) I mean, even in the juniors, we had a Grand Slam champion as well. So, yes, it's been a great two weeks," a beaming Sania said. PTI