By Jilwatan

Wild card Sania Mirza came back from the brink to beat Ukrainian Mariya Koryttseva in a grueling three-setter and enter the second round of the $4.5 million BNP Paribas Open here.

Sania trailed 2-6, 1-3 before bouncing back to win the match 2-6, 6-3, 6-2 and set up a tough clash against 12th seed Italian Flavia Pennetta, who got a first-round bye.