By Jilawatan

Sania Mirza crashed out of the Dubai Tennis Championships on Tuesday after losing her second round match 7-5, 6-2 to World No. 24 Kaia Kanepi of Estonia. Second seed Dinara Safina, the runner up at the Australian Open, and Svetlana Kuznetsova were also the casualities of round. France’s Virginie Razzano beat Safina 6-4, 6-2 while Kuznetsova lost to Elena Vesnina 6-4, 3-6, 6-0.

Sania, who was playing her third match in as many days, squandered a 4-2 lead in the opening set and never recovered after being broken in the eighth game.

The tournament has been overshadowed by Dubai’s refusal to grant a visa to Israel player Shahar Peer. WTA tour CEO Larry Scott said on Monday that the Dubai event could be removed from next year’s calendar for violating the principle that sports and politics should not mix.

Amelie Mauresmo, winner of the Paris Open last week, withdrew from the tournament at the last minute and has been fined $7,500 by the WTA Tour.

Important results:

At Dubai (WTA Dubai Open): Second round: Jelena Jankovic bt Monica Niculescu 6-3, 6-2; irginie Razzano bt Dinara Safina 6-4, 6-2; Venus Williams bt Anastasia Pavlyuchenkova 6-0, 6-1; aia Kanepi bt Sania Mirza 7-5, 6-2; Camille Pin bt Urszula Radwanska 6-7(5), 7-5, 2-0 ret.; Elena Vesnina bt Svetlana Kuznetsova 6-4, 3-6, 6-0; Ana Ivanovic bt Alisa Kleybanova 7-5, 6-4; First round: Sania Mirza bt Ekaterina Makarova 7-5, 6-2.

At Memphis (ATP RMK Championships and WTA Cellular South Cup): Men: First round: Chris Guccione bt Vince Spadea 7-6(1), 7-6(5); Igor Kunitsyn bt Igor Andreev 1-6, 6-4, 6-3; Dudi Sela bt Bobby Reynolds 7-6(4), 6-2. Women: First round: Sabine Lisicki bt Ekaterina Bychkova 6-3, 6-3; Michaella Krajicek bt Alla Kudryavtseva 6-1, 6-4; Vania King bt Alexandra Stevenson 6-2, 7-6(5); Pauline Parmentier bt Julie Coin 7-6(6), 4-6, 6-1; Victoria Azarenka bt Varvara Lepchenko 6-2, 6-2.

At Marseille (Open 13): First round: Dmitry Tursunov bt Teimuraz Gabashvili 3-6, 6-2, 6-2; Jan Hernych bt Kristof Vliegen 6-3, 3-6, 6-4; Mikhail Youzhny bt Tomas Berdych 6-4, 6-7(2), 6-1; Feliciano Lopez bt Ivan Ljubicic 3-6, 6-4, 7-5.

At Buenos Aires (ATP Telmex Cup): First round: Juan Ignacio Chela bt Alberto Martin 6-3, 6-2; David Nalbandian bt Nicolas Lapentti 6-3, 6-3; Juan Carlos Ferrero bt Agustin Calleri 6-3, 6-4.

At Bogota (WTA Copa Sony Ericsson Colsanitas): First round: Edina Gallovits bt Barbora Zahlavova Strycova 6-2, 6-2; Klara Zakopalova bt Romina Oprandi 3-6, 7-6(7), 7-6(5). — Agencies