Third seed Sania Mirza [Images] sailed into the second round of the $175,000 WTA event in Cincinnati, scoring a 6-4, 6-3 victory over unseeded American Abigail Spears.

The Indian ace started off badly in both sets but pulled up her socks in tome to overpower Spears.

Spears raced to a 3-0 lead in the first set before Sania could hit back with vengeance and win six of the next seven games and pocket the set.

In the second set as well, Sania was a break down before she stepped on gas and swept aside her opponent.

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The Hyderabadi girl's second round opponent will be the winner of the match between Varvara Lepchenko of Uzbekistan and Kirsten Flower of the United States.

"She started off very well and rarely missed anything; I just found it a little hard to focus, maybe because it was my first match of the tournament," Sania said.

"But, at the end, when I really needed it, I pulled it off. I made the balls I needed and the winners I needed. I'm just taking it match by match."

Sania said her injured knee, which kept her out of action for two-and-a half months, is shaping well.

"I feel fit now -- I feel fitter than when I stopped. My knee is probably around 90 percent right now, but that last 10 percent is the hardest part to get. I still struggle with some movements, but it doesn't hamper me when I play. That's just how it is."

Sania has been drawn on the same half as top seed Russian Anna Chakvetadze [Images]. If reaches the final, the world number 38 might run into former champion Patty Schnyder.

In the doubles, Sania teams up with American Bethanie Mattek. The top seeded Indo-American pair takes on Catalina Castano (Colombia) and Meng Yuan (China) in the first round.

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