India’s Sania thrashes world number nine Petrova

By Matthew Cronin

CARLSBAD, California (Reuters) – India’s Sania Mirza
provided the upset of the second round at the San Diego Classic
on Wednesday with a 6-2 6-1 victory over fourth seed Nadia
Petrova.

Number 14 seed Daniela Hantuchova was the other seed to
fall on Wednesday, losing 7-5 4-6 6-2 to doubles partner Ai
Sugiyama of Japan, while fifth seed Patty Schnyder survived a
6-4 6-7 6-1 match against Czech Kveta Peschke.

Playing with a right elbow strain, Petrova was unable to
impose herself against Mirza, who dictated play during the
match.

Mirza, who had to qualify for the main draw, went all out
with her forehand returns and was never threatened by the 2005
French Open semi-finalist.

Mirza said nothing was easy playing a top-10 ranked player.

“I knew if I relaxed for a second she would have jumped on
me,” said Mirza, who will face Japan’s Akikio Morigami in the
next round. “I had a game plan in my mind and I’m glad I was
able to do what I needed to.

“I believed I could do it, but I always knew that everyone
is beatable.”

Ranked a career high 59, Mirza is almost sure to crack the
top 50 in the next two weeks, achieving the goal she had set
herself at the beginning of the year.

She has already won her first career title, at Hyderabad
beating four seeds on the way, beat the then world number seven
Svetlana Kuznetsova in Dubai and made two other quarter-finals.

“A lot has happened since January,” the 18-year-old added.
“I started this season losing in the second round of qualifying
of Tasmania.

“I didn’t expect so much to happen so soon, but I’m not
complaining.”

French Open finalist Mary Pierce, playing her first match
on hard courts since March, thrashed Germany’s Anna-Lena
Groenefeld, who was never able to establish her big serve or
whipping return.

“I didn’t expect to play that well because in your first
match on a surface, you don’t know what’s going to happen,”
Pierce said of the 6-1 6-1 victory.

“I was really happy today, especially with the first set. I
took her seriously. From first point of match, I was ready to
play.”

In other matches, ninth-ranked Elena Likhovtseva recovered
from a set down to beat Israel’s Shahar Peer 0-6 6-2 6-4, while
10th seed Nathalie Dechy also came from a set down to beat
Argentine Gisela Dulko 4-6 7-5 7-6.

Russia’s 16th-ranked Dinara Safina also recovered from
losing the first set to love to beat compatriot Alina Jidkova
0-6 6-1 6-0, while Italy’s 17th seed Francesca Schiavone beat
Anastassia Rodionova 6-2 6-2 and Bulgaria’s Sesil Karatantcheva
beat Lisa Raymond of the U.S. 7-6 6-4.