Somdev Devvarman and Sania Mirza notched up a rare double for India at the US Open by advancing to the second round of the season's last Grand Slam with contrasting opening wins at the Flushing Meadows. While Sania opened with a roller-coaster 6-2, 3-6, 6-3 win over Olga Govortsova of Belarus in women's singles, qualifier Somdev got the better of Portugal's Frederico Gil 6-3, 6-4, 6-3 in the men's competition. The 162nd-ranked Somdev will take on German 23rd seed Philipp Kohlschreiber, who defeated Italy's Andreas Seppi 6-0, 6-4, 6-4 in the second round.
Also read: Sania Mirza enters second round at US Open
Somdev storms into second round at US Open
The 74th-ranked Sania also has a tough match at hand against old nemesis Italian 10th seed Flavia Pennetta.
"I'm really happy we have two players in the second round of a Grand Slam. Things are looking up," Sania said after her win.
Somdev, meanwhile, said the scoreline might show a straight-set win but he had to toil hard on the court.
"I really dug in there, didn't get tight. I competed well. That's what gets you through those tough ones - the way you compete," he said.
Somdev played a solid service game in the contest which lasted more than two hours, breaking his rival seven times.
"I don't want to jinx myself but I feel good about where I am. I've had a couple of quality wins. It gives me a lot of confidence and belief that I can come out and compete with anyone. My game is up there with the rest," he said.
Sania, on the other hand, had to fight it out harder but was helped by her opponent's weak serve and unforced errors.
The Indian ace broke her rival seven times and served marginally better to come through in the match that lasted close to two hours.
"The toughest thing is to get that first win under your belt. Under the circumstances I'm just happy I can come through that match and get off to a good start. To me it has already been successful," she said.
On her nagging wrist problem, Sania said the injury that threatened her career at one point is finally healing.
"I'm happy with the way I'm playing. Physically I've never been fitter in terms of the way I'm moving on the court and playing in matches.
"I came up with the big shot that I needed to have. I have that big weapon when I need to use it," the 24-year-old said.
The recently-engaged star said she was ready for a grand comeback after spending a lot of time on the sidelines due to injuries.
"I'm at that stage where I'm ready to go up again and go into the new year with confidence. The major wrist problem is finally gone. It's about trying to stay as injury-free as possible," she said.
"You don't realise how much you miss playing tennis until you think you might not be able to play again. That made me really grow as a person. I appreciate it more being on a tennis court now," she added.
Saturday, September 5, 2009
US Open : Olga Govortsova - Sania's first hurdle
Struggling to advance beyond second rounds of Grand Slam events all season, Sania Mirza opens her US Open campaign against world number 64 Olga Govortsova of Belarus as the last tennis Major of the year begins on Monday.
The one-to-one record between the world number 71 Sania and her Belarussian rival is tied 1-1.
Sania had beaten Govortsova in a qualifying event in 2007 and the Belarussian settled the score with a win in Doha next year.
If Sania clears the first hurdle, she may run into 10th seed Italian Flavia Pennetta in the second round.
Sania has not done well in the singles events of the Grand Slams this year, reaching the second rounds of the Australian Open and Wimbledon and falling at the very first hurdle in the French Open.
Although she has tasted some success in the doubles events, becoming the first ever female player of the country to win the mixed doubles title of the Australian Open along with compatriot Mahesh Bhupathi.
The one-to-one record between the world number 71 Sania and her Belarussian rival is tied 1-1.
Sania had beaten Govortsova in a qualifying event in 2007 and the Belarussian settled the score with a win in Doha next year.
If Sania clears the first hurdle, she may run into 10th seed Italian Flavia Pennetta in the second round.
Sania has not done well in the singles events of the Grand Slams this year, reaching the second rounds of the Australian Open and Wimbledon and falling at the very first hurdle in the French Open.
Although she has tasted some success in the doubles events, becoming the first ever female player of the country to win the mixed doubles title of the Australian Open along with compatriot Mahesh Bhupathi.
Sania's US Open campaign: Will wrist injury heal ?
The wrist injury that kept Sania Mirza out of action almost half the season last year has flared up once again just a few days before the U S Open but the tennis ace is hoping that it will "hold up" during the year's last Grand Slam.
Although Sania is sure to play in singles and doubles events of the US Open, she may skip the mixed doubles event but a final call will be taken only during the event.
The pain has recurred at a time when Sania had a chance to wipe off the disappointment of not doing well in the singles competitions of the Grand Slams this year.
After getting engaged to childhood friend Sohrab Mirza, Sania began her hard-court season preparations by winning the Lexington ITF Challenger event in July.
Although Sania is sure to play in singles and doubles events of the US Open, she may skip the mixed doubles event but a final call will be taken only during the event.
The pain has recurred at a time when Sania had a chance to wipe off the disappointment of not doing well in the singles competitions of the Grand Slams this year.
After getting engaged to childhood friend Sohrab Mirza, Sania began her hard-court season preparations by winning the Lexington ITF Challenger event in July.
Rogers Cup :Sania Mirza crashes out
Indian tennis ace Sania Mirza fell at the final hurdle of the qualifying rounds of the women's edition of the Rogers Cup on Sunday.
With the main draw accepting only 44 direct entries including all 16 of the World's top players, there was a good chance for the qualifying field to seek a berth in this highly lucrative event with 12 places up for grabs through only two rounds of play.
Sania was made to work hard in her opening qualifying round match by Canadian Marie-Eve Pelletier on Saturday, struggling to a 2-6, 6-4, 6-2 win. But she wasn't quite as lucky against another local girl, 22-year old Heidi El Tabakh, ranked 121 places below Mirza at 195 in the world.
Tabakh raced through the first set 6-1, as Mirza failed to get going at all. Though she failed to find the range on her serve in the second set either, dropping it twice, she did make the most of her opportunities on the El Tabakh serve, winning 75% of the points on her opponents second serve, and levelling the match at a set all 1-6, 6-3.
The final set saw both girls lift the level of their play, as they tried desperately to sneak an advantage. Mirza would regret in the end not taking any of her five break opportunities in the decider, as one bad game cost her the match. El Tabakh took just 7 points off the Mirza serve in the last set, but put a bunch of them together in the 6thgame, which saw her take the only break point she got, to wrap up the tie 6-1, 3-6, 6-4 in a shade under 2 hours.
El Tabakh also eliminated the qualifying section's top seed, world No.35 Anastasia Pavlyuchenkova on Saturday. Joining El Tabakh in the main draw are other seasoned campaigners Julie Coin, Maria Kirilenko, Maria Rybarikova among others.
Sania will play in the doubles event in the competition alongside her new partner Francesca Schiavone of Italy. They open their campaign against Akgul Amanmuradova of Uzbekistan and Alla Kudryavtseva of Russia.
With the main draw accepting only 44 direct entries including all 16 of the World's top players, there was a good chance for the qualifying field to seek a berth in this highly lucrative event with 12 places up for grabs through only two rounds of play.
Sania was made to work hard in her opening qualifying round match by Canadian Marie-Eve Pelletier on Saturday, struggling to a 2-6, 6-4, 6-2 win. But she wasn't quite as lucky against another local girl, 22-year old Heidi El Tabakh, ranked 121 places below Mirza at 195 in the world.
Tabakh raced through the first set 6-1, as Mirza failed to get going at all. Though she failed to find the range on her serve in the second set either, dropping it twice, she did make the most of her opportunities on the El Tabakh serve, winning 75% of the points on her opponents second serve, and levelling the match at a set all 1-6, 6-3.
The final set saw both girls lift the level of their play, as they tried desperately to sneak an advantage. Mirza would regret in the end not taking any of her five break opportunities in the decider, as one bad game cost her the match. El Tabakh took just 7 points off the Mirza serve in the last set, but put a bunch of them together in the 6thgame, which saw her take the only break point she got, to wrap up the tie 6-1, 3-6, 6-4 in a shade under 2 hours.
El Tabakh also eliminated the qualifying section's top seed, world No.35 Anastasia Pavlyuchenkova on Saturday. Joining El Tabakh in the main draw are other seasoned campaigners Julie Coin, Maria Kirilenko, Maria Rybarikova among others.
Sania will play in the doubles event in the competition alongside her new partner Francesca Schiavone of Italy. They open their campaign against Akgul Amanmuradova of Uzbekistan and Alla Kudryavtseva of Russia.
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