Sania-Martina reach US Open semis

New York, Sep 9 The Indo-Swiss tennis combine of Sania Mirza and Martina Hingis earned a straight sets victory to enter the women's doubles semi-finals of the US Open at the Flushing Meadows here.

The top seeds took just an hour and 25 minutes to beat Chinese Taipei ninth seeds Yung-Jan Chan and Hao-Ching Chan 7-6(5), 6-1 on Tuesday. They will next take on Italian 11th seeds Sara Errani and Flavia Pennetta on Thursday for a place in the final.

Playing at the Louis Armstrong Stadium, the world's top two players were equally matched in the first set by the Chan sisters. Both pairs broke the other twice which led the set into the tie-breaker where Sania and Martina lived up to their billing to take the lead in the match.

Having lost a closely fought first set, the Chan sisters were not as feisty in the second set and were broken twice to lose the second set and the match.

Overall, Sania and Martina won 70 of the 121 points played in the match and had more winners and less unforced errors.

Later, India's Karman Kaur Thandi defeated Russian Evgeniya Levashova 6-2, 4-6, 6-3 to enter the girls singles third round where she will take on Hungarian second seed Dalma Galfi.

But it was the end of the road for Pranjala Yadlapalli, who partnering Mexican Jessica Hinojosa Gomez, lost the girls doubles opener 1-6, 0-6 to American pair of Tornado Alicia Black and Ingrid Neel.