Sania in Aegon Classic semifinals (Lead)
By IANSFriday, June 12, 2009
BIRMINGHAM - Sania Mirza dispatched Melinda Czink of Hungary 6-1, 7-6 (4) to reach the semifinals of the Aegon Classic tennis tournament here Friday.
Sania, who has fallen to 98th in the world rankings from a career-best 27 two years ago due to a wrist injury, beat the 16th seed in an hour and 17 minutes. The unseeded Indian thus made it to only her second semifinals in two years, in the run-up to Wimbledon starting June 22.
Sania ran through the first set with two break of serves before Czink came back in the second set with an early break for a 3-1 lead.
Sania broke her twice to go ahead 5-4, before Czink saved a match point to lead 6-5.
In the tiebreaker, Sania held her nerve to close out the match.
“I played some tough matches here and I am glad to have come through,” Sania said after the match.
“The wrist is healed which is a big positive for me.”
Sania will face the winner of the quarter-final match between Urszula Radwanska of Poland and Magdalena Rybarikova of Slovakia.
