Miserable Mirza Falls to Qualifier at WTA Birmingham

Hyped unstoppably by the media last year as the first women's tennis star to come out of India, Sania Mirza's shine continues to fade in 2006, with various injuries and "growing pains," according to her handlers, in danger of dragging the media darling outside the Top 50 on the WTA Rankings.

On Thursday at the WTA stop in Birmingham, the No. 14-seeded Mirza failed to close a one-set lead in a 2-6, 6-4, 7-6(3) loss to No. 135-ranked unheralded American qualifier Meilen Tu.

The miserable Mirza refused to meet with the press after the match according to wire correspondents, instead issuing a press release.

"I'm really disappointed to lose today," the release said. "I thought I had the match in my hands as I started off so well but I wasn't feeling well in the second set. I had cramps and it went wrong from there. All credit to Meilen, she really hung in there and deserved to win today."

Both players were distracted by loud fans watching a video screen of World Cup action nearby, with Mirza twice failing to serve out the match in the third set.

No. 1 Maria Sharapova (d. (13) Li) led the seeds into the quarterfinals, joined by (2) Francesca Schiavone (d. Pironkova 6-1 in the third), (4) Elena Likhovtseva (d. Raymond), (6) Marion Bartoli (d. Morita in three), and (12) Mara Santangelo (d. (5) Sugiyama).

Russian Vera Zvonareva was another un-seed into the quarters, straight-setting No. 7-seeded countrywoman Anna Chakvetadze, while unseeded American Jamea "Action" Jackson toppled (8) Jelena Jankovic after dropping the second set 0-6.

Friday's line-up for the quarterfinals is Bartoli vs. Tu, Zvonareva vs. Schiavone, Sharapova vs. Santangelo, and Likhovtseva vs. Jackson.