Sania fails to qualify for main draw

Heidi El Tabakh shut the door on Sania Mirza in Rogers Cup main draw by defeating her in a three-set contest.

The 23rd seed Sania came back well from a one-set deficit but failed to continue with the momentum and lost 1-6, 6-3, 3-6 in the second and final qualifying round of the USD two million WTA event.

Earlier, Heidi, ranked 194 in WTA charts, had shocked top seed and world number 35 Anastasia Avlyuchenkova in the first round.

Heidi broke Sania twice in the first set to race away with the first set but the 74-ranked Indian got her act together and returned the compliment thrice in the second set apart from saving three breakpoints to draw level.

However in the decisive third set, Sania could not convert any of the five chances to break Heidi, who converted her only chance to close the game in her favour.

Somdev slips, Sania static

The first round defeat at the Binghamton Challenger proved too costly for Somdev Devvarman as the Indian dropped 23 rungs in the latest ATP ranking list to be placed 163rd even as Sania hung on to her 74th position in the WTA chart.

Somdev had lost to Sergei Bubka of Ukraine last week at the UAS tournament. Leander Paes though dropped one position to seven.

Sania, however, managed to maintain her 74th position in singles and imroved her doubles ranking to 46 from 49.

Meanwhile, the Montreal Masters title win has pushed Mahesh Bhupathi to number eight position, gain of one slot.