Sports India

SANIA Mirza`s first quarterfinal appearance on the WTA tour this season could not help the Indian tennis icon as she slipped two places to be 42nd in the latest rankings announced today.

Sania, partnering Marta Domachowska of Poland lost 4-6, 6-3, 2-6 to Maria Elena Camerin of Italy and Gisela Dulko of Argentina in the final of the Cincinnati Open tennis tournament.

The Indo polish pair seemed to bounce back when they came back from behind to level scores 1-1 but could not put up a show in the decider.

Sania had lost to top seed Patty Schnyder of Switzerland in the quarterfinal of Cincinnati Open at Ohio.

US based Indian Shikha Uberoi was placed 171st three places down from her last week`s 168th position but Delhi`s Ankita Bhambri at 345th, was the third highest ranked singles player from the country.

Sania`s feat of reaching finals in the Cincinnati Open resulted in her career-best 31st rank in doubles. She was 33rd last week.

On the men`s chart, Harsh Mankad scaled a whopping 109 places to displace Rohan Bopanna as the top ranked Indian, being 287th. Bopanna and Karan Rastogi lost five places each to be 298th and 344th behind Mankad.

In the doubles, veterans Leander Paes was unmoved at 14th while his ex-partner Mahesh Bhupathi climbed up one place to be 23rd, Bopanna was 141st.