Sania through to first quarterfinal of year, faces Schnyder

Sania Mirza set up a tough quarterfinal clash with top seed Patty Schnyder of Switzerland after defeating Finland's Emma Laine 6-1 0-6 6-1 in the second round of the USD 175,000 Cincinnati WTA tennis here.

The match against Laine fluctuated wildly with the Indian breezing through the first set before suffering a slump in the second set which saw her losing it to love.

But the ninth seed got her act together in the decider and raced ahead to make her first quarterfinal of the year.

Sania was her usual inconsistent self, firing 27 winners compared to the 12 by her opponent in the first set but inexplicably losing her way in the second.

She was at her aggressive best in the third, hitting three aces and 29 winners to take it in an hour and a half.

She next faces Schnyder who beat American qualifier Abigail Spears 6-1 6-0 to make it to the last eight.

The Hyderabadi girl was handed a more favourable draw after third seeded Daniela Hantuchova withdrew from the tournament due to an injury.

In the doubles, India's Shikha Uberoi and her Canadian partner Maureen Drake lost 6-0 1-6 3-6 to top seeds Maria Elena Camerin of Italy and Argentine Gisela Dulko.

Sania is also through to the last eight in doubles where she will pair up with Marta Domachowska of Poland to take on Varvara Lepchenko of Uzbekistan and China's Meng Yuan for a spot in the semifinals.