Top seed Martina Hingis crashed out of the Korea Open in spectacular fashion yesterday, losing to India's Sania Mirza in the second round 4-6, 6-0, 6-4.
Just five days after the world No. 8 swept the 19-year-old aside in the semi-final of the Kolkata Sunfeast Open, a competition that she went on to win, the Swiss star encountered a much-improved Mirza at Seoul Olympic Park.
"It is my third time to play her this year and I guess that it is third time lucky," a smiling Mirza said. "Every match is a different match and every week is a different week -- this proves that."
When the Indian produced some stunning strokeplay to twice come back from 0-40 to win the game in the opening three games, the crowd sensed an upset.
Mirza's below-par service let her down, however, with four double faults early on that interrupted her momentum. Hingis, who had been struggling to impose herself on the game, took advantage to win a hard-fought first set 6-4.
The second set was an entirely different affair as the Mumbai-born Mirza stormed back in style to overpower her bewildered opponent and take the set without dropping a game.
The third set was a much closer affair but the world number 59 was always in control and dominated play, producing four exquisite returns to win a Hingis service game to love.
Mirza's serve threatened to let Hingis back into the game but although the top seed survived two match points, it was third time lucky for the outsider.
"She was too good today, she played too well," a tired Hingis told a press conference.
"She played very well today, much better than last Saturday. I gave her more chances today. In the beginning I lost two 40-0 games. Sometimes that's professional tennis and little things can make matches," Hingis said.
She said her opponent "hits the ball very hard. Some of the angles she was able to play were really amazing."
But the Swiss, who returned this season after a three-year layoff due to injury, said there was not a big gap between her and Mirza.
"I beat her last week so I am not going to beat myself up about this," she said.
Tim Henman won his second all-British battle in a row yesterday after he shrugged off some poor line calls to defeat Alex Bogdanovic for a place in the quarter-finals at the Thailand Open.
The 32-year-old Briton, ranked 59th, followed up his first-round win against Andy Murray by defeating Bogdanovic 6-3, 5-7, 6-1.
Henman was momentarily put off his stride as two line calls at a tense moment late in the second set went against him. But instead of moaning, the four-time Wimbledon semi-finalist plowed ahead and into his fifth quarter-final of the season.
"He made life very difficult, I had to work hard," said Henman, who next faces the winner of the match between Thai Paradorn Srichaphan and Russian Mikhail Ledovskikh.
In other matches, third seed James Blake advanced with ease over Benjamin Balleret of Monaco 6-3, 6-2 while former number one Marat Safin continued his comeback after returning from a 2005 knee injury.
The two-time Grand Slam winner struggled for more than two hours before overcoming Frenchman Julien Benneteau 7-6 (7/5), 6-7 (3/7), 6-2.
Switzerland will play Spain in the first round of next year's Davis Cup, setting the stage for another duel between Roger Federer and Rafael Nadal.
The 2007 draw yesterday gave home advantage to the Swiss.
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