First round exit for Sania in Pattaya

Indian tennis ace Sania Mirza squandered a one-set lead before crashing out of the $220,000 Pattaya Open with a first-round loss to German Tatjana Malek in Pattaya on Wednesday.

In a match lasting close to two hours, Sania went down 6-3, 4-6, 3-6 as she continued her poor run on the circuit.

The Hyderabadi ace, who recently broke off her engagement to childhood friend Sohrab Mirza, lost her way after making a fine start.

Her serve proved to be a complete let down as she conceded break points to her rival.

In the deciding third set, Sania was trailing 4-5 when she handed two match points to Malek, who grabbed the opportunity with both hands to knock out the Indian.