The Hindu : Sport / Tennis : Sania eliminated in opening round

Online edition of India's National Newspaper
Wednesday, Sep 14, 2005

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Sport - Tennis

Sania eliminated in opening round

BALI: : Sania Mirza lost to Ekaterina Bychkova in the opening round of the $ 225,000 Wismilak International here on Tuesday.

The eighth-seeded Indian, who has climbed to 34th in the WTA rankings, lost 6-3, 6-2 to the unseeded Russian.

Meanwhile in Beijing, Argentina's Guillermo Coria and David Nalbandian easily progressed to the second round of the China Open on Tuesday.

Second seeded Coria brushed aside Chinese qualifier Zeng Shaoxuan 6-2, 6-1, while Davis Cup team-mate Nalbandian overcame Denmark's Kristian Pless 6-3, 7-6 to reach the last 16.

``I still have terrible jet-lag but I won without playing my best so that's good enough,'' said the world number nine. ``He hit the ball well but his tactics weren't good.''

Nalbandian next plays Israeli qualifier Amir Hadad, who toppled big-serving Belgian Dick Norman 7-5 7-6.

Former Australian Open champion Thomas Johansson ousted fellow Swede Jonas Bjorkman 6-4, 6-3 in the day's opening match following a two-hour rain delay.

Fourth seed Johansson takes on Jarkko Nieminen in the second round after the Finn's easy 6-4, 6-2 victory over Germany's Rainer Schuettler.

The results:

At Beijing (ATP China Open): Thomas Johansson bt Jonas Bjorkman 6-4, 6-3; Amir Hadad bt Dick Norman 7-5, 7-6 (5); David Nalbandian bt Kristian Pless 6-3, 7-6 (2); Yeu-Tzuoo Wang bt L. Gregorc 7-6 (5), 6-1.

At Bali (WTA Wismilak International): Ekaterina Bychkova bt Sania Mirza 6-3, 6-2; Zi Yan bt Wynne Prakusya 6-2, 7-5; Laura Pous Tio bt Meghann Shaughnessy 6-4, 4-6, 6-1; Aiko Nakamura bt Tomoko Yonemura 7-6 (7), 7-5; Anna Lena Groenefeld bt Karolina Sprem 7-5, 5-7, 6-3; Jie Zheng bt Maria Vento-Kabchi 6-3, 6-4; Virginia Ruano Pascual bt Tiantian Sun 6-2, 6-2.

At Bucharest (ATP BCR Open Romania):

Albert Portas bt Christophe Rochus 6-4, 6-1; Fernando Verdasco bt Mariano Zabaleta 6-2, 6-4; Filippo Volandri bt Tomas Behrend 6-2, 6-4; Davide Sanguinetti bt Razvan Sabau 6-4, 6-3; Florent Serra bt Victor Crivoi 3-6, 7-6 (5), 6-1; Florian Mayer bt Oscar Hernandez 6-2, 6-0; Jose Acasuso bt Juan Ignacio Chela 6-2, 6-4; Paul-Henri Mathieu bt David Sanchez 2-6, 6-2, 6-1. — Agencies

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