Date:13/06/2007 URL: http://www.thehindu.com/2007/06/13/stories/2007061304921700.htm

Sport

Sania carves out a fine win

Marin Cilic sends Tim Henman packing from Queen's Club

— Photo: AP

ON THE BALL: Sania Mirza raced past Maria Elena Camerin of Italy in the first round of the DFS Classic .

London: Unseeded Sania Mirza carved out a fine 6-3, 6-3 victory over Maria Elena Camerin of Italy in the singles first round of the DFS Classic tennis tournament in Birmingham.

Sania did not have an ideal start to her first match on grass after playing on Roland Garros clay in Paris as she trailed 1-3 in the first set against the World No. 66 in the tier III event.

"You have to expect that, coming off clay and playing on a new surface," said the Indian after her one-hour 28-minute contest.

"It was my first match and it wasn't one of the easier matches I could have got in the first round. She's a seasoned player. I knew she was going to be tough and there's always a little anxiety when you go on the court on a new surface for the first time," she said.

Easy win for Roddick

Andy Roddick advanced to the third round at the Stella Artois championships at Queen's Club in London with a ruthless 6-4, 6-4 win over Radek Stepanek on Tuesday.

Meanwhile, Tim Henman's Wimbledon preparations were left in tatters after the former British No. 1 one slumped to a first round defeat at Queen's at the hands of Croatian teenager Marin Cilic 7-6, 2-6, 6-4.

Important results: At Birmingham: WTA DFS Classic (second round): Elena Likhovtseva bt Agnieszka Radwanska 7-5, 7-6(4). First round: Alicia Molik bt Severine Bremond 4-6, 6-3, 6-4; Chan Yung-Jan bt Jamea Jackson 6-3, 6-1; Angelique Kerber bt Olga Poutchkova 6-0, 6-0; Ayumi Morita bt Jill Craybas 6-4, 6-1; Sania Mirza bt Maria Elena Camerin 6-3, 6-3; Nathalie Dechy bt Alberta Brianti 6-3, 4-1 (retd.); Yaroslava Shvedova bt Katerina Bondarenko 4-6, 6-4, 6-3; Tsvetana Pironkova bt Aleksandra Wozniak 4-6, 7-6(3), 7-6(4); Maria Kirilenko bt Raquel Kops-Jones 6-3, 6-3; Yuliana Fedak bt Michaella Krajicek 7-6(5), 6-4.

At Barcelona: WTA Barcelona Open (first round): Flavia Pennetta bt Conchita Martinez-Granados 6-2, 6-3.

At Halle: ATP Gerry Weber Open (first round): Florian Mayer bt Michael Kohlmann 7-6(4), 7-5; Andrei Pavel bt Olivier Rochus 6-3, 7-6(5); Jarkko Nieminen bt Kristof Vliegen 6-3, 6-1; Nikolay Davydenko bt Jurgen Melzer 7-6(6), 4-6, 6-2; James Blake bt Sam Querrey 4-6, 6-4, 6-3; Evgeny Korolev bt Stanislas Wawrinka 3-6, 6-3, 6-4; Mikhail Youzhny bt Michael Russell 6-2, 6-2; Aisam-ul-Haq Qureshi bt Richard Gasquet 7-6(8), 6-4; Simon Stadler bt Mischa Zverev 6-4, 7-6(5); Fabrice Santoro bt Wesley Moodie 6-3, 7-6(9).

At London: ATP Stella Artois championships (second round): Andy Roddick bt Radek Stepanek 6-4, 6-4. First round: Sebastien Grosjean bt Michael Berrer 6-4, 6-2; Robert Kendrick bt Ernests Gulbis 7-6(5), 7-6(6); Jo-Wilfried Tsonga bt Kristian Pless 7-6(2), 6-0; Ivo Karlovic bt Mardy Fish 6-3, 6-4; Frank Dancevic bt Sergio Roitman 6-3, 6-7(5), 6-1; Janko Tipsarevic bt Dusan Vemic 4-6, 6-3, 7-5; Marin Cilic bt Tim Henman 7-6(5), 2-6, 6-4. — Agencies