By Jilawatan

Fan favourite Alicia Molik disposed off Indian tennis sensation Sania Mirza in a roller coaster three set encounter to advance to the second round of the Moorila Hobart International.

Playing in front of a packed home crowd in the feature match on Monday night, Molik started a bit shakily and survived a couple of break points in her opening few service games. The Australian, on a comeback trail after taking premature retirement from the sport, broke the Mirza serve on her third opportunity in a tight seventh game that swung the opening set in her favour.

Mirza’s five double faults in the set did her no favours either. Sania, however, did not give up the set, forcing Molik to serve out the opener, which she d id with ease.

World no. 56 Mirza, who had beaten Molik rather easily in their only prior meeting incidentally right here in Hobart, came back strongly in the second, breaking the Molik serve thrice to run away with the set 6-2.

The third set however saw a rapid reversal of roles as Mirza faded badly just as Molik lifted her game. Mirza managed to hold her serve just once in four attempts in the final set, and won just 5 points on the Molik serve all set, amazingly with 4 of those coming in a solitary game. Molik wrapped up the match 6-4, 2-6, 6-3 in a little over an hour and a half to earn a second round clash with No.5 seed Carla Suarez Navarro on Wednesday.

Speaking after the match Molik said, “I’m very happy; I’ve never beaten Sania before so it was always going to be a battle. Finding myself 4-1 up in the third it was a pretty commanding position, took me a few games to settle and really close it out. I was pretty aggressive today and I think I reaped the rewards from continuing to play that way.

“I’ve been working on staying forward playing aggressive and playing my game. It’s no fun being dictated to, it’s better to be out there and really being aggressive, that was my line of thinking today whether I lost or won that was pretty much my game plan.

“It’s not a little comeback it’s a big comeback, starting from scratch again. I’m 28 nearly 29 and I had to start from zero again, it’s not a half hearted attempt. I’ve been training all year and competing only the last three months. It just goes to show the tennis I have within is good enough to beat someone like Sania Mirza which is a good sign,” Molik said.

Sania will look to put the disappointment of a first round exit behind her as she teams up with Virginia Ruano Pascual to take part in the women’s doubles. Mirza will be desperate for some competitive action before she heads to Melbourne to defend her Australian Open Mixed Doubles title. Mirza and Pascual are the second seeds in the doubles and take on Edina Gallovits of Romania and Marie-Eve Pelletier of Canada in the opening round.