Sania reaches DFS Classic quarters

Sania Mirza, seen here in February 2006, reached the third round of a WTA Tour event for the first time in eight months

BIRMINGHAM (England): Sania Mirza reached the third round of a WTA Tour event for the first time in eight months on Wednesday, overcoming fitness worries, rain-sodden conditions, and Shenay Perry in three sets at the DFS Classic. The Indian star, who has been struggling with back problems this year, was in decent enough shape against the world number 72 from the United States to underline her considerable potential on grass with a 7-5, 6-7 (5/7), 6-3 victory. The world number 41 from Hyderabad delivered uninhibited flat hitting which causes the ball to stay down lower on this surface, making it a potent threat, and she was unafraid to take risks on the big points. But Mirza did not consolidate a lead of a set and a service break, and eventually making hard work of a contest which was extended by an aggravating 80-minute rain delay soon after she had let slip her second set advantage. This may have been partly caused by cumulative pressure from a moderate sequence of results and possibly the realisation that the draw, without the third-seeded Daniela Hantuchova in her section, is opening up invitingly. "After last year there has been a lot of pressure on me. And of course people expect me to do a lot better than I did last year," said Mirza. "I am going to take it one at a time and not worry about Wimbledon, or even next week. I only want to worry about tomorrow. 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 >> "But pressure is growing by the day. People expect me to do better and it's part and parcel of my life and I have to learn how to block everything out." In conditions which made serve more important, Mirza secured the only break of the first set at the psychologically crucial moment in the eleventh game, and when she broke to lead 2-1 and 3-1 in the second set, seemed well on her way. But as in her opening win against Alona Bondarenko, she seemed to allow her mind to waver a little, while Perry developed more rhythm with an intelligent game in which she mixed sliced drives skillfully in with her routine topspin, and sometimes made ambushing net attacks. Even then Perry seemed to be heading for defeat for she followed her break to 3-3 by double-faulting to go 3-4 and hurled down her racket and broke it. She escaped a code violation warning for that, and also escaped with the set on a tiebreak after Mirza overhit a backhand to miss her point for 5-3. But Mirza played more steadily throughout the third set, breaking to lead 4-2 and then holding her advantage until the end. "The court was a bit different from that in my opening round," she said. "The rain made the conditions heavier and harder to keep your focus. "I tried to finish it too early in the second set -- I was a little bit impatient. But I knew I had to hang on to my service games because she served so well, and after this I did that." If the 14th-seeded Indian can now beat another American, the qualifier Meilen Tu, she will earn herself a place in the quarterfinals.