Sania Mirza outshines Ayumi Morita in the opening round – PTT Pattaya Open 2012
Indian icon, Sania Mirza, made an epic come back from a set down to overpower the Japanese challenger, Ayumi Morita, in three sets at the PTT Pattaya Open 2012 on Tuesday. She manipulated a 3-6, 6-1, 6-2 victory over the world number 64 to advance into the second round at this first WTA (Women’s Tennis Association) event held after the Australian Open.
Indian star, Mirza, made a shaky start in the match as she spilled more errors and lost her opening serve. However, she made a fitting reply afterwards as she equalised the set scores with a breadstick. The Indian carried her ways in the final set and eventually pocketed the match in almost one and half hour.
The 25-year-old stormed into the opening set and drew the first blood in the opening game. However, the Indian stepped off gas afterwards.
Morita on the other end took full advantage of this and recovered in the fourth game. Despite losing her serve again in the very next game, she blasted powerful forehands and stroke out the last four games successively.
The frustrated Indian bounced back with an amazing reply in the second set. She quickly reeled off the opening three games with a break of serve. After the Japanese held her serve in the fourth game, Mirza went into savage mode again and bagged the last three games, subsequently earning the equaliser by winning six games to one.
The Mumbai native carried her rhythm in the final set and earned the craved break in the fourth game. She held her entire serves after warding off both breakpoints she encountered and cashed in another break chance in the seventh game to clinch the decider with a 6-2 score line.
After earning this success, Mirza not only remained on track to bid her second WTA title but also took lead in the head-to-head series by 2-1 against the Japanese. Morita crushed the Indian in their previous meeting at the Dubai Duty Free Championship last year.
Next up for the world number 111 is the highly enthusiastic British, Anne Keothavong, who upset the second seed, Dominika Cibulkova, in straight sets to set-up this duel.
Eighth seed, Vania King, awaits Mirza in the round of 16. She pounced over the British teenager, Heather Watson, after converting three out of seven break chances to her advantage. King also formulated a better first serve share and brilliantly registered 31 out of 37 points on it.
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