French flavour set ablaze the wonderful centre court at the newly-built SAAP Tennis Complex as Mary Pierce, making her first appearance on Indian soil, combined with Indian teen sensation Sania Mirza to blow out the Indian pair of Sai Jayalakshmi and Rusmhmi Chakravarthi in a first round doubles match at the $140,000 WTA Indian Open in Hyderabad on Monday night.
Pierce and Sania won 6-1, 6-4.
Pierce was all grace as she patted and guided her young partner during the match. The pair breezed through the first set within no time. Sania, though weak on her serve, produced some dazzling forehand shots to compliment the French woman's cool and composed game even as Sai and Rushmi did their best and put up a semblance of fight towards the later part of the match.
Seventh seed Angelique Widjaja of Indonesia survived a scare from Croatian Jelena Kostanic before posting a 1-6, 6-4, 6-3 win to advance into the second round.
Manisha Malhotra brought cheer to the home crowd by becoming the second Indian, after wild-card entrant Sania Mirza, to make it to the main draw in the singles competition.
She came from behind to post an authentic 7-6 (7-5), 6-4 win over Jin_Hee Kim of Korea in the third and final qualifying round.
Manisha drubbed compatriot Isha lakhani 6-3, 6-3 in the second round and Ektorina Kozhokina of Russia 6-3, 6-2 in the first.
The others to make it to the main draw were Yulia Beyghelzimer of Ukrain and Jie Zheng of China, who defeated Tian Tian Sun (China) 6-3, 4-6, 6-1 and Olga Kalyuzhanaya (Russia) 6-0, 6-4 respectively.
Russian Maria Kirilenko joined the qualifiers by upstaging China's Zi Yan 3-6, 6-4, 6-4 in a well-contested match.
Yulia plays second seed Thai Tamarine Tanasugaran; Zheng runs into Mary Pierce while Kirilenko meets fellow-Russian Anastassia Rodionova in the first round.
Top seed in the qualifiers, Andrea Vanc of Romania entered the main draw as lucky loser.
Results (1st round): Angeliqua Widjaja (INA) bt Jelena Kostanic (CRO) 1-6, 6-4, 6-3; Andreea Vanc (ROM) bt Julia Vakulenko (UKR) 6-4, 6-2; Prakusya Wynne [INA] lost to Talaja Silvija [CRO] 3-6, 4-6; Christiana Torrens Valero (Spain) bt Mi-Ra Jeon (Korea) 7-5, 6-0; Antonella Serra Zanetti (Italy) bt Evgenia Koulikovskaya (Russia) 6-7 (8-10), 7-5, 6-0.
Doubles: Mary Pierce (France) & Sania Mirza (India) bt Rushmi Chakravarthi & Sai Jayalakshmi (Ind) 6-2, 6-4; Clarisa Fernandez & Maria Vento-Kabchi (ARG) lost to Flavia Pennetta (Italy) and Andreea Vanc (Romania) 1-6, 6-3, 3-6; Lelena Kostanic (CRO) & Katalin Marosi (HUN) bt Zi Yan and Jie Zheng (CHN) 6-2, 6-2.
Qualifiers (3rd round): Manisha Malhotra (IND) bt Jin-Hee Kim (KOR) 7-6 (7-5), 6-4; Yulia Beygelzizmzer (UKR) bt Tian Tian Sun (CHN)6-3, 4-6, 6-1; Jie Zheng (CHN) bt Loga Kalyuzhnaya (RUS) 6-0, 6-4; Maria Karilenko (RUS) bt Zi Yan 3-6, 6-4, 6-4.
