Sport

Safina defeats Pironkova

— PHOTO: AP

TOILING HARD: Dinara Safina struggled to beat Tsvetana Pironkova in the second round of the BNP Paribas Open.

INDIAN WELLS (USA): Top seed Dinara Safina survived a tough test of her title credentials before beating Tsvetana Pironkova of Bulgaria 7-6(8), 6-2 in the second round of the WTA event in Indian Wells on Friday.

The Russian saved four set points in the first-set tie-break against a determined Pironkova before easing through the second set.

World No. 50 Pironkova served for the first set at 5-4 but Safina broke straight back and then held her nerve in the tiebreak to win it 10-8.

The second was much more straightforward and Safina clinched victory to set up a third-round meeting with 28th seed Shahar Peer of Israel.

Fourth seed Vera Zvonareva, No. 8 Victoria Azarenka of Belarus and Danish ninth seed Caroline Wozniacki also advanced, as did former World No. 1 Amelie Mauresmo.

But there was a shock defeat for sixth seed Sevtlana Kuznetsova as the former U.S. Open champion was beaten 6-2, 4-6, 6-3 by Urszula Radwanska of Poland in round two.

Mauresmo, who won her first title in two years last month in Paris, battled past German Anna-Lena Groenefeld 5-7, 6-3, 6-4 in three minutes short of three hours. In the men’s event, German qualifier Michael Berrer beat South African Kevin Anderson 6-3, 6-3

On a mixed day for the Indians, Mahesh Bhupathi advanced to the men’s doubles second round but Sania Mirza crashed out of the women’s doubles event at the BNP Paribas Open.

Sania and her partner Chia-Jung Chuang of Taipei went down 1-6, 4-6 to the Argentine-Israeli team of Gisela Dulko and Shahar Peer in the opening round.

However, Sania is still in contention in the singles event and the Indian ace takes on 12th seed Italian Flavia Panetta.

In the men’s doubles, the third seeded pair of Bhupathi and Bahamas’ Mark Knowles edged past Russians Dmitry Tursunov and Igor Kunitsyn 7-5, 6-3 in the opening round.

The results: Singles: Men (first round): Michael Berrer bt Kevin Anderson 6-3, 6-3; Sam Querrey bt Guillermo Canas 7-6(2), 6-2; Jeremy Chardy bt Victor Hanescu 6-4, 3-6, 6-2; Tommy Haas bt Oscar Hernandez 6-3, 6-3; Michael Russell bt Guillermo Garcia-Lopez 7-5, 6-2; Andreas Seppi bt Juan Ignacio Chela 6-2, 4-1 (retd.); Robert Kendrick bt Bjorn Phau 7-5, 6-2; Viktor Troicki bt Mikhail Youzhny 7-5, 2-1 (retd.); John Isner bt Christophe Rochus 6-1, 6-4; Nicolas Massu bt Eduardo Schwank 7-6(1), 6-7(5), 6-4.

Women (second round): Amelie Mauresmo bt Anna-Lena Groenefeld 5-7, 6-3, 6-4; Caroline Wozniacki bt Timea Bacsinszky 6-1, 6-1; Shahar Peer bt Marion Bartoli 1-6, 6-4, 7-5; Kaia Kanepi bt Virginie Razzano 7-6(2), 1-0 (retd.); Nicole Vaidisova bt Alona Bondarenko 6-3, 6-1; Dinara Safina bt Tsvetana Pironkova 7-6(8), 6-2; Vera Zvonareva bt Chan Yung-jan 6-2, 6-2; Li Na bt Patty Schnyder 7-5, 6-2; Anna Chakvetadze bt Ekaterina Makarova 6-3, 7-5; Urszula Radwanska bt Svetlana Kuznetsova 6-2, 4-6, 6-3;

Doubles: Men (first round): Mahesh Bhupathi/Mark Knowles bt Igor Kunitsyn/Dmitry Tursunov 7-5, 6-3.

Women (first round): Gisela Dulko/Shahar Peer bt Sania Mirza/Chia-Jung Chuang 1-6, 4-6. — Agencies

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