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[Blwe_torch]

Pin pierces Sania bubble

February 15, 2006 19:54 IST

Defending champion and top seed Sania Mirza was dumped out of the US $175,000 Bangalore Open by Frenchwoman Camille Pin in the second round at the KSLTA courts on Wednesday.

After winning the first set comfortably, Sania lost 1-6, 7-5, 6-2, being totally outplayed in the third set.

It was a disappointing loss for the Indian ace in the tournament that hurled her into super-stardom last year. Sania, at 38, is ranked much higher than the No. 110 Pin.

Sania won the Hyderabad Open, now renamed as the Bangalore Open, to become the first Indian woman to win a WTA title.

Earlier, Italy's Maria Elena Camerin shocked second seed Shahar Peer of Israel in the first round.

Peer, world no 26 and former world junior number one who last week won the Pattaya City event in Thailand, lost 4-6, 2-6.

Camerin, world number 92 and unseeded here, staged a remarkable recovery after being down 0-2 in the first set.

The second set totally belonged to the Italian who tightened her grip over the proceedings.

Hungary's Melinda Czink also advanced to the last eight with a 6-2, 6-2 victory over Ukraine's Mariya Koryttseva.

"I am pretty happy with the way I played but it could be better," said Czink, who had beaten Sania in the Sunfeast Open at Kolkata last year.

"I had to play hard, I was serving well that put pressure on her."

Meanwhile, sixth seeded Jelena Kostanic of Croatia beat Daniala Kix (Austria) 6-2, 3-6, 6-3 to move into the second round.

The 24-year-old Kostanic, who reached the third round of Australian Open and reached her second career tour singles final at Pattaya City event in Thailand last week, will now meet Kala Kanepl of Estonia in the pre-quarter-finals.

http://in.rediff.com/sports/2006/feb/15sania.htm