Sania-Dellacqua suffer 1st round defeat in Birmingham

Playing with new partner Casey Dellacqua in the absence of Martina Hingis, India's Sania Mirza crashed out of the WTA Aegon Classic following a straight set defeat in Birmingham.

The top-seeded Indo-Australian pair lost 4-6, 2-6 to unseeded pair of Jie Zheng and Yung-Jan Chan in the opening round of the $731,000 grass court event in just 69 minutes.

Sania and Dellacqua could not convert any of the four break chances they got in the match and that proved crucial in the outcome of the match. The top seeds lost serve thrice.

Hingis could not play in this tournament with Sania for some personal reasons but will be back for next week's event in Eastbourne and then at the Wimbledon.

Image: Sania Mirza

Photograph: Jordan Mansfield/Getty Images for Aegon