Sania Mirza, Elena Vesnina score quarterfinal slots at the 2011 Family Circle Cup
Sania Mirza sends Sabine Lisicki home with a 6-4, 6-4 win
Qualifier Sania Mirza shocked spectators at the third round of the 2011 Family Circle Cup yesterday, sending wild card Sabine Lisicki off the court with a quick 6-4, 6-4 defeat. The Indian pro took a little over an hour and twenty-three
minutes.
It was a surprise victory for Sania Mirza, who has been known lately only because of her fall from the Top 50 and the mediocre tennis she has been playing. However, the pro has been making waves at Charleston with impressive wins,
including Americans Vania King and Alison Riske. She is currently ranked just inside the WTA Top 100 at Number 90, and was in danger of falling out until her impressive showing at this event. The 24-year-old turned pro in 2003, and has won a single WTA career
title so far. In this regard, she is similar to German pro Sabine Lisicki. However, the wild card is ranked World Number 182 at the time and is just 21 years old. She has spent four years on tour, and already has one career title under her belt.
Despite Lisicki’s obvious tennis skills, she was off the mark yesterday and could not perform well. She committed many errors, and was easily broken six times by Mirza. The Indian, however, seemed to be on fire as she fought off
ten break points to win the match 6-4, 6-4 with an impressive 56 per cent of the total points in the match.
Sania Mirza will now take on eleventh seed Shuai Peng in the quarterfinal of the 2011 Family Circle Cup, later today.
Elena Vesnina scores major 6-4, 6-1 victory over Samantha Stosur
Russian tennis player Elena Vesnina also made a surprise appearance in the third round of Charleston, ousting Grand Slam finalist Samantha Stosur in easy straights 6-4, 6-1 to win the match and proceed to the quarterfinals in under
one and a half hour.
It was a disappointing loss for Stosur, who was second seed at the 2011 Family Circle Cup. She is also ranked fifty spots higher than Vesnina at World Number 5, and was expected to win the match in easy straights before the Russian
turned the tables on her.
The Gold Coast pro committed too many double faults and errors, and was broken four times. She could not compete with Vesnina on this occasion, and eventually gave up as the Russian took 56 per cent of the points in the match to
win it with a fry in the second set.
Elena Vesnina will take on German tennis pro Julia Goerges in the quarterfinals, after she undid World Number 11 Shahar Peer in the earlier round.
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