Sania Mirza advances to Japan Open quarters

Oct 03: Second seed India’s tennis sensation Sania Mirza had it fight it out against Australian Casey Dellacqua in a keenly three-set encounter to advance to the quarterfinals of $175,000 Japan Open in Tokyo here on Wednesday.

Sania scraped through 6-4, 3-6 and 6-4 after a few anxious moments in the final set of her second-round match of the tier III event. Sania and Dellacqua clinched a set each and played out an absorbing decider in which the Indian ace came out winner to move into the last-eight.

The 29 th ranked Indian in the world will now meet, the winner of the match between Flavia Penetta and Abigail Spears, to make a place for the semis.

The 20-year-old Hyderabadi came from behind after two service breaks down in the first and fifth game of the final set to go 4-3 up with a couple of sizzling aces. However, Dellacqua held her nerve and serve to make it 4-4 but lost the impetus thereon.

Sania broke her serve in the 10th game as she clinched the challenge after the Australian hit a forehand out. Klara Zakopalova of the Czech Republic who beat wild card Urszula Radwanska of Poland 6-2, 3-6 and 6-2 also moved it to the quarterfinals.

Sania opined that her experience of playing at the top level helped her to turn the table on opponent in the intense battle.

"It's about making those points when it really matters. Perhaps she didn't make them the whole match, but I made them when it needed the most. I think that counted at the end," she said.

"In the final set, I played much better than I did in the first couple of sets. I think what's important is that you come through," she added.

Sania Mirza and her American partner Christina Fusano had already entered in the doubles quarterfinals with a straight set 6-3, 6-2 victory over the Polish-Romanian pair of Ursula Radwansaka and Agnes Szatmari in Tokyo on Tuesday.