Thaindian News

Vancouver, Aug 7 (IANS) Top seed Sania Mirza easily moved into the quarterfinals of the $175,000 Oldum Brown Vancouver Open, beating American Laura Granville 6-2, 6-4.
Sania, who had a hard-fought 6-4, 7-5 first-round victory over 410th-ranked American Mallory Cecil, had things to her liking in the second round of the ITF women’s tournament Thursday.

Granville, who like Sania was once among the top 30 on the WTA rankings, could not handle the power-packed hitting of the Indian, particularly the sizzling forehand, and meekly surrendered.

A two-time finalist here, Glanville crashed from a career-high 27 in 2003 to 401, staying off the entire last year with a wrist injury similar to that of the Indian star.

In the quarterfinals, Sania plays local favourite Rebecca Marino who just about managed to overcome eighth seed Olivia Rogowska of Australia in two contesting sets, 7-5, 7-6 (0).

Sharon Fichman is among the five Canadians in the last eight. She knocked out third-seeded American Madison Brengle 6-2, 6-2.

In the other matches of the day, Canadian Heidi El Tabakh beat Anna Tatishvili of Georgia 4-6, 6-3, 6-4, Thailand’s Noppawan Lertcheewakarn beat Russian Olga Puchkova 3-6, 6-2, 6-4, American Mashona Washington beat fifth-seeded Australian Sophie Ferguson 7-6(7), 6-4, Canadian Marie-Eve Pelletier beat China’s Meng Yuan 6-4, 6-1, and Canadian Stephanie Dubois beat Israeli Julia Glushko 6-1, 6-2.