The Hindu : Sport / Tennis : Golovin shows Sania the door

Online edition of India's National Newspaper
Saturday, Feb 11, 2006

Sport

Sport - Tennis

Golovin shows Sania the door

PARIS: Sania Mirza's impressive first round win proved to be a flash in the pan as the Indian ace went down 4-6, 2-6 to French teenager Tatiana Golovin in her second round game at the $600,000 Open Gaz de France here on Thursday.

Ranked eight places above the Indian, the unseeded Golovin led 5-4 before breaking Sania to clinch the first set.

In the second set, Sania made a brief comeback when she broke Golovin once but that hardly had any impact on the French girl, who broke back immediately to lead 5-1.

Serving for the match, Golovin was broken for the second time by the Indian but it was too little and too late for Sania as the former had wrested the momentum by that time.

Partisan crowd

Sania desperately needed to hold on to her serve to save the match but she couldn't and Golovin — backed by the crowd — broke her to seal the match.

This was Sania's second loss in the second round of a singles competition, the first being at the Australian Open, this year.

With her singles campaign over, Sania will now partner South African Liezel Huber to take on the US-Italian pair of Mashona Washington and Tathiana Garbin in their second round doubles match.

Schnyder through

Meanwhile, Patty Schnyder eased into the semifinals with a 6-3, 6-3 victory in less than an hour over fifth-seeded Elena Dementieva.

The fourth-seeded Swiss player and Dementieva stayed close in the early games, with Dementieva finding the lines while Schnyder stretched the angles with her heavy topspin.

At 3-3 and 15-30, a double fault by Dementieva gave Schnyder a break point that she converted with a spectacular backhand lob to lead 4-3. Schnyder again broke Dementieva at 5-3 and 15-40 with a passing shot down the line to seal the first set.

In the second set, Schnyder gained a decisive break in the fourth game at 30-40, as Dementieva sent a backhand out, to lead 3-1.

Schnyder concluded the match in the ninth game on a return by Dementieva that went wide.

The Results:

At Paris (Open Gaz de France) Quarterfinals: Patty Schnyder (Sui) bt Elena Dementieva (Rus) 6-3, 6-3;

Second round: Tatiana Golovin (Fra) bt Sania Mirza (Ind) 6-4, 6-2.

At Pattaya (Pattaya Women's Open) Quarterfinals: Sybille Bammer (Au) bt Melinda Czink (Hun) 6-4, 6-3; Nuria Llagostera Vives (Spa) bt Catalina Castano (Col) 1-6, 6-4, 6-3. Shahar Peer (Isr) bt Lourdes Dominguez Lino (Esp) 6-3, 6-1. Jelena Kostanic (Cro bt Emma Laine (Fin) 6-0, 4-6, 6-4. — Agencies

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