Sania crashes out in 1st round in Bali

New Delhi Sept 13: Sania Mirza’s joy after reaching a career high 34th rank proved shortlived as the eighth seed crashed out of the $ 2,25,000 Wismilak International tennis tournament in Bali after a straight set defeat at the hands of lower ranked Russian Ekaterina Bychkova.

It was a disappointing show by the Indian who could not put up a semblance of fight and went down 3-6, 2-6.

“I wasn’t really in it from the beginning,” Sania said after the match. “She played a good match but I think I was really rusty. I don’t know, I was just not in my rhythm.”

Rueing over the unforced errors she committed today, the Indian teenager said, “A lot of shots that went in in other matches just didn’t go in today.”

Sania has had a wonderful run this year and the teenager from Hyderabad has enjoyed the fastest rise by any player on the Sony Ericsson WTA Tour this year — after beating world number six and last year’s US Open champion Svetlana Kuznetsova in Dubai, winning her and country’s first WTA title in her home city and recently reaching the fourth round of the US Open.

Sania is taking part in doubles also. She and her Polish partner Marta Domachowska have a tough task in hand as they meet third seeded Chinese pair of Ting Li and Tiantian Sun in the first round.