India's Sania Mirza advanced to the second round of the US Open qualifiers after defeating Ksenia Lykina of Russia �6-2, 6-2 on Tuesday.
Sania next plays Russian Elena Bovina, who ousted 15th seed German Tatjana Malek.
Bovina came from a set down to beat Malek 6-7 (3), 6-2, 6-1 in her opening round match.
This is the first time since her breakthrough year in 2005 that Sania is having to go through the qualifiers to play in a Grand Slam.She is grappling with injuries since 2008 and her ranking has plummeted in the last two years. Poor form and a recurring wrist injury has seen her singles ranking drop to 160.
Meanwhile, Somdev Devvarman is all set to make a direct entry into the men's singles draw of the US Open after breaking into top-100.
There are 16 places up for grabs in the qualifying event for the main draw, starting August 30.
Image: Mohammed Jaffer/Snapsindia
