Hingis to face Sania Mirza

Top seed Martina Hingis and local favourite Sania Mirza notched straight-set victories in Kolkata on Friday to set up a semifinal clash in the Kolkata Open tournament.

Former world number one Hingis defeated Thai player Tamarine Tanasugarn 7-5, 6-2, while Mirza got past fourth seed and 66th-ranked Aravane Rezai of France 6-4, 7-5 to set up the showpiece event for Saturday.

Hingis, ranked ninth in the world, overcame a sluggish start before asserting her class in the last quarterfinal tie of the day.

She was down two breaks in a 0-3 score, but came back strongly to break serve in the fourth, 10th and 12th games and put pressure on Tanasugarn, who could not compete in the second set.

"I did not have a great start. I was rushing a bit and she played off my pace but I got back the control as I could switch the pace of the game," said Hingis, who looked forward to playing fifth seed Mirza.

"It was just building up and you could feel it in the air," said Hingis about her much-awaited next round match. "Sania has a good forehand and I will have to keep her on the run."

Mirza had a good match as she disposed of a player seeded a notch higher by serving better and using her powerful forehand to an advantage.

"There was very little difference between the two of us. Just a few points here and there. Rezai has a great backhand, which matches my forehand. We are both aggressive players," Mirza said after the match.

"I was trying to avoid playing backhand to backhand as I would never have won those points", said Mirza.

In the first set, Mirza clinched a crucial break in the 10th game after the players had traded two breaks each.

In the second set, she was broken in the fourth game and was down 4-2 but she broke back in the seventh, drew level by holding the eighth and then got the decisive break in the 11th.

Earlier in the day, unseeded players Olga Poutchkova and Iroda Tulyaganova set up a semi-final clash.

Poutchkova got past Alberta Brianti 7-5, 6-3 while qualifier Tulyaganova rallied to beat Alla Kudryavtseva 4-6, 6-2, 6-2.