Sania sent packing from Dubai

Sania Mirza yet again failed to move beyond the first round of a WTA tournament and crashed out of the USD two million Dubai Tennis Championships following her 3-6, 4-6 defeat against Spaniard Anabel Medina Garrigues in Dubai on Monday.

Since going down in the second round of Auckland event at the start of season, Sania has lost her opening rounds in the subsequent events at Hobart, Australian Open and Pattaya Open and the trend continued here as well.

Monday's match, which saw both the players trading a lot breaks, ended after one hour and 35 minute contest. 

No player could hold her serve until the fifth game of the first set until world number 33 Medina held hers. 

Sania needed as many as five breakpoints in the very first game of the match to get the first break but the Spaniard responded by breaking back.

Anabel held her serve in the fifth game to go up 3-2 but Sania made it three-all after saving three breakpoints in the sixth game.

However, the Spaniard won the next three games to close the first set in her favour. 

In the second set too, Sania broke her rival twice but also dropped her serve thrice which was enough to crash out.

Sania would now play in the doubles competition where she is seeded seventh alongside Spanish partner Virginia Ruano Pascual.