India’s Sania Mirza made a winning return to action after her wedding to Pakistan cricketer Shoaib Malik as she defeated Chan Yung-Jan 6-1, 6-4 in the first round here on Monday.
Mirza had taken several months off from tennis to focus on her personal life before controversially marrying Malik in April.
Mirza quickly rediscovered her rhythm on the Birmingham grass-courts as she swatted aside Chan, a 20-year-old from Taipei. Meanwhile, Thailand’s Tamarine Tanasugarn, a Wimbledon quarterfinalist in 2008, cruised through as the 14th seed won 6-2, 6-2 against Lilia Osterloh of the US.
Britain’s Laura Robson, who last week had to offer an abject apology for an interview she had given where she labelled some of her fellow players as ‘sluts’, advanced to the second round when her Swiss opponent Stefanie Voegele retired in the second game of the second set. Robson, a junior Wimbledon champion in 2008, had taken the first set 6-4.
Croatia’s Mirjana Lucic, a Wimbledon semifinalist in 1999, gave a glimpse of a talent that seemed to have been lost for good as she beat Mariana Duque Marino 6-1, 6-2. Lucic, who had been ranked as high as 32nd in the world, is only now beginning to rebuild her career.