San Diego: Sania Mirza and her South African partner Liezel Huber crashed out of the doubles competition at the WTA Acura Classic after losing to German Anna-lena Groenefeld and US’ Meghann Shaughnessy in the quarter final.
Sania and Liezel, seeded eighth at the event, went down in straight sets 2-6, 5-7 against the fourth seeded German-American pair.
Groenefeld and Shaughnessy will now face top seeds American Lisa Raymond and Samantha Stosur of Australia for a place in the final of the San Diego hardcourt tournament. The victors, who had a bye in the first round and had an easy second-round victory, kept up their form to wrap up the first set in convincing fashion.
However, Sania and Huber gave their more fancied opponents a tough run in the second set before faltering at the end.
Top seed Kim Clijsters, meanwhile, overpowered Martina Hingis 7-5, 6-2 to reach the semi-finals on Friday.
Second seed Maria Sharapova crushed defending champion Mary Pierce 6-2, 6-3, setting up a last four clash with Patty Schnyder of Switzerland, who beat No. 4 Elena Dementieva 6-4, 6-3.
Belgian Clijsters will face seventh seed Nicole Vaidisova of Czech Republic after she beat Russian Anna Chakvetadze 3-6, 6-4, 6-3.
Hingis came back from a 2-4 deficit in the first set to take a 5-4 lead, but Clijsters served brilliantly and came back to win the set 7-5.
A deflated Hingis looked sloppy in the second set and Clijsters pounded out the win.
“Mentally she puts so much pressure on you,” Hingis said. “She doesn’t really give you a free point. She doesn’t really have a weakness.”
Former world No. 1 Hingis, who returned to the tour in January after more than three years lay-off due to injury, said her game was not yet at a standard where she could compete with the elite.
“I’m lacking stamina,” the 25-year-old said. “It’s the focus, I wish I could play her every day so I could get used to her intensity.
“I’m pushing the top players, but you have to play matches like today a lot. I’m not happy with just reaching the quarter finals.”
In other quarter finals, Sharapova forced the pace against a sluggish defending champion Pierce, dictating with a big serve, powerful ground strokes and sporadic charges to the net.
