The Hindu : Sport : Sania Mirza begins season in style

Online edition of India's National Newspaper
Tuesday, Jan 09, 2007
ePaper

Sport

Sport

Sania Mirza begins season in style

THE RIGHT START: Sania Mirza could not have asked for more as she got the better of Maria Kirilenko in straight sets. — PHOTO: AP

HOBART: Sania Mirza opened her new season on the WTA circuit in style by upsetting fourth seed Maria Kirilenko of Russia in the first round of the Hobart International tennis tournament here on Monday.

The wildcard Indian scored a 6-4, 6-4 win over her higher-rated opponent, who is ranked 29th in the world, at the $145,000 hardcourt event.

The 66th-ranked Sania will next play Romina Oprandi of Italy, who pulled off a 7-6(3), 6-1 win against Elena Likhovtseva of Russia in their first round match.

Later Sania Mirza teamed up with Alicia Molik of Australia to defeat Alona Bondarenko and Kateryna Bondarenko of Ukraine 6-1, 7-6(6).

Jankovic in great form

Martina Hingis is out of the Sydney International after just one round.

Unseeded Serbian Jelena Jankovic continued her winning form with a three-set win over three-time Australian Open champion and fifth-seeded Hingis 6-4, 4-6, 6-3 on Monday.

The 21-year-old Serbian won the second title of her short career in Auckland last week and moved her Swiss opponent all around the court during the two-hour match.

``I just came from Auckland so I didn't have much time to recover, I was quite proud of how I managed to pull through,'' Jankovic said.

Hingis was a finalist in her first tournament of 2007, on the Gold Coast last week, losing to Dinara Safina in three sets.

With seven of the top ten-ranked women in the world playing the traditional Australian Open warm-up tournament, Hingis knew she was in for a tough week. She will now focus on winning a fourth title in Melbourne.

``At least Ill be fresh and ready to go (for the Australian Open). I always take the positive,'' Hingis said.

A small but vocal Serbian contingent with flags flowing above their heads celebrated when Hingis hit a forehand long on match point to hand Jankovic, last years U.S. Open semifinalist, her sixth straight win of 2007.

Jankovic will play Australian wild card Samantha Stosur in the second round. Earlier, Stosur and Tatiana Golovin of France advanced with straight-set victories. Stosur beat Vera Zvonareva of Russia 6-1, 6-4 and Golovin defeated Chinese qualifier Peng Shuai 6-4, 7-5.

Serving for the match, Stosur saved two break points before pushing Zvonareva into an unforced error on the Australian's second match point.

``I think I definitely came into the net pretty well,'' Stosur said. ``I like the courts here, I think they work kind of in my favour with my good serve.''

Pratt upsets Safina

In a late women's match, Australian veteran Nicole Pratt upset Gold Coast winner Safina 4-6, 6-3, 6-2.

Defending Australian Open champion Amelie Mauresmo is the top women's seed in Sydney in the absence of Justine Henin-Hardenne, who pulled out of Sydney and the Australian Open last week due to undisclosed family matters.

In men's play on Monday, Marcos Baghdatis of Cyprus made a successful return to Australian courts with a straight-sets victory over Latvian qualifier Ernests Gulbis.

It was Baghdatis's first match in Australia since losing to Roger Federer in last year's Australian Open final.

With more than a dozen Sydney-based relatives watching, Baghdatis won 7-6(3), 6-1. Baghdatis will play Jan Hernych for a place in the quarterfinals after the Czech qualifier upset last year's runner-up, Italian Andreas Seppi, 6-4, 6-2.

Fifth-seeded Czech Tomas Berdych also advanced, downing Australian qualifier Robert Smeets 6-2, 7-5 but eighth-seeded Sebastien Grosjean of France was upset 6-4, 6-4 by Spain's Fernando Verdasco. World second-ranked Rafael Nadal of Spain is the top men's seed at Sydney and is scheduled to play his first-round match on Tuesday against Australian Chris Guccione.

No. 1 Roger Federer is using the Kooyong exhibition tournament in Melbourne this week as his final preparation for defence of his Australian Open title.

Defending champion Jarkko Nieminen of Finland lost in the first round of the $416,000 (euro308,000) Heineken Open on Monday, beaten 7-6(3), 6-1 by Olivier Rochus of Belgium.

Nieminen and Rochus met in the semifinals of last year's Auckland tournament, playing out a three-hour, three-set cliff-hanger in which Nieminen held 10 match points before finishing off his unseeded opponent.

Rochus, ranked 36, had his revenge on Monday, beating the fourth-seeded Nieminen in an hour and 22 minutes to advance to the second round.

Top-seeded Tommy Robredo advanced to the second round, taking only 64 minutes to beat Ruben Ramirez Hidalgo 6-2, 6-1 in an all-Spanish encounter.

Robredo looked fit and sharp as he raced through his match, serving five aces while Ramirez Hidalgo had six double faults.

No. 3 seed David Ferrer of Spain beat form French Open champion Gaston Gaudio 5-7, 6-3, 6-2.

The results:

At Sydney: Sydney International: Men: First round: Tomas Berdych bt Robert Smeets 6-2, 7-5; Fernando Verdasco bt Sebastien Grosjean 6-4, 6-4; Jan Hernych bt Andreas Seppi 6-4, 6-2; Robby Ginepri bt Florian Mayer 6-3, 6-2; Marcos Baghdatis bt Ernests Gulbis 7-6(3), 6-1; Benjamin Becker bt Filippo Volandri 6-3, 6-2.

Women: First round: Samantha Stosur bt Vera Zvonareva 6-1, 6-4; Tatiana Golovin bt Peng Shuai 6-4, 7-5; Yuliana Fedak bt Marion Bartoli 7-6(2), 6-2; Katarina Srebotnik bt Elena Bovina 6-3, 6-1; Patty Schnyder bt Vera Dushevina 6-3, 4-6, 6-3; Jelena Jankovic bt Martina Hingis 6-4, 4-6, 6-3; Elena Dementieva bt Ai Sugiyama 6-7(3), 7-6(3), 6-0; Nicole Pratt bt Dinara Safina 4-6, 6-3, 6-2.

At Hobart: Hobart International: First round: Catalina Castano bt Roberta Vinci 6-3, 6-4; Severine Bremond bt Michaella Krajicek 3-6, 6-1, 6-0; Romina Oprandi bt Elena Likhovtseva 7-6(3), 6-1; Sania Mirza bt Maria Kirilenko 6-4, 6-4; Mara Santangelo bt Maria Elena Camerin 7-5, 2-6, 6-3; Sybille Bammer bt Ashley Harkleroad 7-6(2), 6-1; Lucie Safarova bt Martina Muller 7-6(5), 6-2; Alicia Molik bt Jelena Kostanic 4-6, 6-1, 6-2; Alona Bondarenko bt Jessica Moore 6-2, 7-6(6); Zheng Jie bt Stephanie Foretz 6-2, 6-2; Anabel Medina Garrigues bt Elena Vesnina 6-1, 6-3; Aiko Nakamura bt Flavia Pennetta 7-5, 7-5; Serena Williams bt Sofia Arvidsson 6-4, 6-0; Vasilisa Bardina bt Gisela Dulko 6-1, 6-3.

Doubles: first round: Sania Mirza & Alicia Molik bt Alona Bondarenko & Kateryna Bondarenko 6-1, 7-6(6).

At Auckland: Auckland Open: First round: Tommy Robredo bt Ruben Ramirez Hidalgo 6-2, 6-1; Alberto Martin bt Gael Monfils 6-4, 6-4; Philipp Kohlschreiber bt Luis Horna 6-4, 7-5; Olivier Rochus bt Jarkko Nieminen 7-6(3), 6-1; Florent Serra bt Nicolas Lapentti 6-3, 1-6, 6-4; Daniele Bracciali bt Gilles Simon 6-3, 6-2, David Ferrer bt Gaston Gaudio 5-7, 6-3, 6-2; Kristof Vliegen bt Janko Tipsarevic 7-6(3), 6-0. — Agencies

Printer friendly page
Send this article to Friends by E-Mail

Sport