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MIAMI, March 24: Georgian teenager Anna Tatishvili saw off Indian tennis star Sania Mirza on a rain-wracked Thursday in the 6.9 million-dollar Miami WTA and ATP Masters Series tournament.
Tatishvili, who trains in Florida and received a wild card into the draw, beat Mirza 7-6 (8/6), 1-6, 7-6 (10/8) to claim her first match victory in her fourth WTA tour event.
After letting slip a 4-0 lead in the third set, she fended off Mirza’s chances to take the match, despite admitting to nerves on the big stage of Stadium Court.
The match was just one of many pushed back by rain, which stopped play for more than four hours and briefly returned again after play had resumed.
The delays meant the Stadium Court clash between Briton Tim Henman and Russian Marat Safin didn’t get on court until after midnight. Once it did, Henman downed Safin 6-3, 6-3.
Results
Men (first round)
Luis Horna bt Florian Mayer 6-4, 7-6 (7/5); Greg Rusedski bt Mikhail Youzhny 6-3, 6-1; Kristof Vliegen bt Boris Pashanski 6-2, 4-6, 6-3; Arnaud Clement bt Peter Luczak 6-1, 6-2; Mark Philippussis bt Davide Sanguinetti 6-4, 4-6, 6-3; Carlos Berlocq bt Donald Young 6-0, 6-0; Novak Djokovic bt Paul-Henri Mathieu 6-1, 6-3; Vincent Spadea bt Andreas Seppi 6-1, 6-4; Max Mirnyi bt Gilles Muller 7-6 (7/5), 5-7, 6-4; Alberto Martin bt Andrei Pavel 6-2, 6-2; Simon Greul bt Paradorn Srichaphan 5-7, 6-2, 7-5; Tim Henman bt Marat Safin 6-3, 6-3
Women
Virginie Razzano bt Alisa Kleybanova 7-5, 6-2; Shinobu Asagoe bt Nuria Llagostera Vives 7-6 (7/2), 2-3 ret; Michaella Krajicek bt Zi Yan 6-3, 5-7, 6-1 Vania King bt Sybille Bammer 0-6, 6-1, 7-5; Anna Chakvetadze) bt Karolina Sprem) 1-6, 6-3, 6-3; Maria Elena Camerin bt Emma Laine 4-6, 6-2, 6-3; Victoria Azarenka bt Laura Pous Tio 7-6 (8/6), 6-3; Ekaterina Bychkova bt Catalina Castano 6-4, 6-1; Jill Craybas bt Jelena Kostanic 6-3, 4-6, 6-1; Lourdes Dominguez Lino bt Anna Smashnova 5-3 ret; Elena Vesnina bt Emilie Loit 6-3, 7-6 (7/4); Anna Tatishvili bt Sania Mirza 7-6 (8/6), 1-6, 7-6 (10/8); Tathiana Garbin bt Laura Granville 7-6 (7/1), 1-6, 6-4.—AFP
