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| August 09, 2007 | Thursday | Rajab 24, 1428 |
Sania overpowers Hingis at Los Angeles Classic
LOS ANGELES, Aug 8: India’s Sania Mirza stunned five-time grand slam winner Martina Hingis 6-2, 2-6, 6-4 to reach the third round of the Los Angeles Classic on Tuesday.
Wimbledon finalist and number six Marion Bartoli and Russian Dinara Safina also made early exits, although three seeds did survive.
Defending champion and number nine seed Elena Dementieva took a 6-3, 6-1 victory over Ekaterina Makarova of Russia in the first round. Tenth-seed Shahar Peer of Israel also won her first round contest when she defeated Dominika Cibulkova of the Slovakia 6-2, 6-3 and 15th seed Katerina Serbotnik of Slovenia beat American Bethanie Mattek 6-4, 7-5.
Bartoli lost 7-6, 6-3 to Russian Maria Kirilenko and Safina went out to Ukrainian Kateryna Bondarenko 6-2, 7-5.
Sania continued her fine summer hardcourt season and fought off two break points at 1-1 in the third set with two blazing forehand winners. She needed four match points to close out the match, but won it when Hingis missed a forehand.
Top seed Maria Sharapova will make her debut against Greece’s Eleni Daniilidou, a 3-6, 6-2, 6-1 winner over France’s Arevane Rezai. Second seed Jelena Jankovic of Serbia will face China’s Shuai Peng, who defeated Yaroslava Shvedova of Russia 6-3, 6-4.
Results on Tuesday:
Second round: Sania Mirza (IND) bt 7-Martina Hingis (SWI) 6-2, 2-6, 6-4; Maria Kirilenko (RUS) bt 6-Marion Bartoli (FRA) 7-6(2), 6-3; Gisela Dulko (ARG) bt Tamarine Tanasugarn (THA) 6-1, 6-3; Michaella Krajicek (NET) bt Yuliana Fedak (UKR) 6-4, 6-3; Katerina Bondarenko (UKR) bt 8-Dinara Safina (RUS) 6-2, 7-5.
First round: Meghann Shaughnessy (US) bt Vania King (US) 6-2, 6-4; Eleni Daniilidou (GRE) bt Aravane Rezai (FRA) 3-6, 6-2, 6-1; Lilia Osterloh (US) bt Alicia Molik (AUS) 6-2, 6-4; Ai Sugiyama (JAP) bt Camille Pin (FRA) 5-7, 6-3, 6-3; Mara Santangelo (ITA) bt Anastasia Rodionova (RUS) 6-1, 7-6(3); 15-Katarina Srebotnik (SLV) bt Bethanie Mattek (US) 6-4, 7-5; 9-Elena Dementieva (RUS) bt Ekaterina Makarova (RUS) 6-3, 6-1; Peng Shuai (CHI) bt Yaroslava Shvedova (RUS) 6-3, 6-4; 10-Shahar Peer (ISR) bt Dominika Cibulkova (SLV) 6-2, 6-3; Victoria Azarenka (BRS) bt Alberta Brianti (ITA) 6-3, 6-3.
MONTREAL: Third seed Novak Djokovic opened his title bid at the Montreal Masters with an impressive 6-3, 6-3 win over Germany’s Nicolas Kiefer in the second round on Tuesday.
The Serb, a semi-finalist at Wimbledon last month, took the first set thanks to one service break and two more in the second set sealed victory in 83 minutes.
Djokovic, who won his first Masters Series crown in Miami earlier this year, will next meet either 16th seed David Ferrer of Spain or Argentina’s David Nalbandian.
The 20-year-old Djokovic was forced to retire at Wimbledon with an injured toe but a few weeks off seem to have done the trick.
Sixth seed Fernando Gonzalez was dumped out, though, beaten 6-7, 7-6, 6-4 by Czech Radek Stepanek. At 4-4 in the deciding set, Stepanek saved three break points and then broke the Chilean in the next game to clinch the match.
Briton Andy Murray enjoyed a successful return after 12 weeks out with a right wrist injury, while ninth seed James Blake set up an intriguing second-round battle with Lleyton Hewitt after he beat Austrian Juergen Melzer 7-5, 7-6.
Murray, the 13th seed, enjoyed a brisk workout during his 6-4, 6-4 win over American Robby Ginepri.
Blake wasted numerous chances to break Melzer’s serve before finally converting on his 10th opportunity to lead 6-5 and then served out for the opening set. The second set was just as tight but the American snatched the tiebreak 7-4 to earn his meeting with Hewitt. Former world number one Marat Safin also advanced to the second round when his opponent, Swede Robin Soderling, retired early in the first set because of injury.
The Russian will now play second seed Rafael Nadal of Spain, while top seed Roger Federer will begin his campaign against big-serving Croat, Ivo Karlovic, who beat Max Mirnyi of Belarus 4-6, 6-3, 7-6.
Results on Tuesday (prefix number denotes seeding):
Second round: Radek Stepanek (CZE) bt 6-Fernando Gonzalez (CHL) 6-7(2), 7-6(1), 6-4; 3-Novak Djokovic (SER) bt Nicolas Kiefer (GER) 6-3, 6-3.
First round: Mario Ancic (CRO) bt Frederic Niemeyer (CAN) 6-4, 6-2; Marcos Baghdatis (CYP) bt Carlos Moya (ESP) 7-6(7), 6-1; Fernando Verdasco (ESP) bt Juan Ignacio Chela (ARG) 3-6, 6-1, 6-3; Ivo Karlovic (CRO) bt Max Mirnyi (BRS) 4-6, 6-3, 7-6(3); Marat Safin (RUS) bt Robin Soderling (SWE) 1-2 (Soderling retired); 13-Andy Murray (UK) bt Robby Ginepri (US) 6-4, 6-4; 9-James Blake (US) bt Juergen Melzer (AUT) 7-5, 7-6(4); Jarkko Nieminen (FIN) bt Julien Benneteau (FRA) 6-3, 6-4; 12-Tommy Haas (GER) bt Agustin Calleri (ARG) 6-3, 7-6(6).—Reuters
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