Sania has an easy first round at Tashkent

Sania Mirza needed just 48 minutes to ease past France's Pauline Parmentier into the second round of the Tashkent Open women's tennis event in Tashkent on Wednesday.

World No. 55 Sania defeated the 206-ranked Parmentier 6-3, 6-1 to win the first round match in convincing fashion.

"It's good to have an easy first round," said the 19-year old Hyderabadi lass, seeded third here.

"I don't have it too often. I still have to get used to these courts, they are very different from Seoul (where she reached the quarterfinals last week)."

Sania got to a quick start, breaking Parmentier twice in the first set and going 3-0 up in a flash. There was a brief stutter then as she dropped her serve.

Parmentier, however, could not do much more as the Indian broke her French rival again in the ninth game to take the set.

In the second set, Sania effected an early break to go 2-0 up.

Parmentier had another chance to come back into the match when she had Sania 0-40 in the next game but she couldn't force the break.

Sania then won 16 of the last 18 points of the match, 10 of them in a row, to canter to victory.

Sania next plays Hana Sromova of the Czech Republic. It will be their first meeting on the WTA Tour.