STANFORD: Sania Mirza recorded her second big upset in successive days as she packed off fourth-seeded Patty Schnyder of Switzerland in straight sets to storm into the semifinal of the Bank of the West of Classic on Friday.
Unseeded Sania downed Schnyder 7-6(2), 6-1 and set up a semifinal clash with eighth seed Austrian Sybille Bammer. Bammer advanced with a 6-2, 6-1 win over wild card Lilia Osterloh of the United States.
Sania had been in top form in the tournament and accounted for sixth-seeded Tatiana Golovin of France for a place in the quarterfinals.
Cheered on by a big crowd, Sania really found her range in the second set.
“Experience and maturity are two things that I have learned over the last two years and it helped out tonight,” said Sania, who reached the semifinals at Cincinnati last week.
“When I am on the court, the crowd does get me going. This crowd is always cheering and there is always a positive vibe. But at the end of the day, you are the player, so you have to get it done,” Sania said.
Sania, however, said beating two players ranked in top-20 did not mean she is going to take Bammer, whom she has never played before, lightly.
“Just because I was able to beat Golovin and Schnyder does not mean the road gets any easier tomorrow. Sybille is a great player and she is in the semifinals so she has been doing things right too.
“She (Sybille) has also been to a final this year. The only advantage maybe is that I played a left-hander today and now I will be playing another left-hander tomorrow,” said the World No. 35.
In the other semifinal, top-seeded Russian Anna Chakvetadze will take on third-seeded Slovakian Daniela Hantuchova.
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Unseeded Sania downed Schnyder 7-6(2), 6-1 and set up a semifinal clash with eighth seed Austrian Sybille Bammer. Bammer advanced with a 6-2, 6-1 win over wild card Lilia Osterloh of the United States.
Sania had been in top form in the tournament and accounted for sixth-seeded Tatiana Golovin of France for a place in the quarterfinals.
Cheered on by a big crowd, Sania really found her range in the second set.
“Experience and maturity are two things that I have learned over the last two years and it helped out tonight,” said Sania, who reached the semifinals at Cincinnati last week.
“When I am on the court, the crowd does get me going. This crowd is always cheering and there is always a positive vibe. But at the end of the day, you are the player, so you have to get it done,” Sania said.
Sania, however, said beating two players ranked in top-20 did not mean she is going to take Bammer, whom she has never played before, lightly.
“Just because I was able to beat Golovin and Schnyder does not mean the road gets any easier tomorrow. Sybille is a great player and she is in the semifinals so she has been doing things right too.
“She (Sybille) has also been to a final this year. The only advantage maybe is that I played a left-hander today and now I will be playing another left-hander tomorrow,” said the World No. 35.
In the other semifinal, top-seeded Russian Anna Chakvetadze will take on third-seeded Slovakian Daniela Hantuchova.
Discuss Add this link to... Bury
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