Sania loses in quarters

Jun 16 2006, 1:03PM GMT

Sania Mirza, seen here in February 2006, led by a set and 3-1, and by 5-3 in the final set before somehow contriving to lose 2-6, 6-4, 7-6

Birmingham:Sania Mirza crashed out of the DSF Classic International women's tennis tournament by going down to Meilen Tu of USA 6-2 4-6 6-7 (3-7) in the third round here today. Sania, ranked No 40 in the world, frittered away the advantage of being one set up and later lost steam when it mattered the most to end up as a loser in a tough battle which lasted for over two hours at the Edgbaston Priory Club. Related Stories Sania loses in quarters Pressure increasing for Sania Sania reaches DFS Classic quarters Sania declares open tennis school in Edgbaston Mirza relives happy days with grass win Sania beats Bondarenko More Sania Mirza News >> Sania won the first set, in which she dropped one game, without much trouble before conceding the second narrowly to the 119-ranked Tu. In the decider, Sania had an upper hand twice as she was serving while leading 5-4 and 6-5. But each time she could not manage to hold her serve and allowed the match to go into the tie-break. The American held her nerve in the tie-break and outplayed Sania 7-3 to advance to the quarterfinal where she will meet Marion Bartoli of France.