Another first round defeat for Sania

For the second week in a row since her return from a knee injury, Sania Mirza failed to clear the opening round in a WTA Tour event. She went down to Meghann Shaughnessy in the US $200,000 Istanbul Cup tennis tournament on Tuesday.

The 52nd-ranked Indian cut a sorry figure against the American, ranked 14th rungs lower in the WTA singles ladder, while going down 4-6, 3-6 in just over an hour and 20 minutes.

Sania, seeded eighth, could not carry forward the momentum of winning her first doubles crown of the season at the Morocco Open, where also she made a premature first round exit in singles.

The first set promised to be a see-saw affair with both players going neck-and-neck. Shaughnessy broke Sania's serve thrice, while the Indian could return the compliment only twice.

Sania's serve let her down in the second set as well as Shaughnessy turned the heat on the Hyderabad girl. The American broke Sania twice in the set and went on to clinch the match.