Sania fails to qualify

New Delhi: Sania Mirza had a not-too-impressive return to competitive tennis, failing to qualify for the main draw of the $170,000 Strasbourg Open in France on Sunday.

According to information received here, Sania won her first qualification match, making short work of Germany’s Svenja Weidemann.

In the second round, however, the Hyderabad girl fell 3-6, 3-6 to Ukrainian Julia Vakulenko at the Sport Centre of Hautepierre claycourts.

Sania, ranked No. 72 in the world, earned three ranking points and $550 for making it to the second qualifying round of the WTA Tier III event.

Sania had to play both matches the same day because rain played spoilsport on Saturday. She will go into the French Open, beginning next Monday, a bit under-prepared.

She has a direct entry to the claycourt Grand Slam at Roland Garros.

The Indian teenager was off tennis for close to two months to heal a niggling ankle injury which she has been carrying since January.

She had fired the imagination of her countrymen by becoming the first Indian to win a WTA Tour event (in Hyderabad), preceded and followed by some wonderful results at the Australian Open and the Dubai Open (where she upset Svetlana Kuznetsova