By IANS
London : India's Sania Mirza entered the third round for the first time at Wimbledon, when she and her partner Shahar Peer of Israel completed their women's doubles second round match Tuesday.
The 16th seeded pair of Mirza and Peer defeated Agnes Szavay of Hungary and Vladimira Uhlirova of the Czech Republic in straight sets 6-4, 6-3 in the second round match interrupted by rain Monday.
Both pairs had trouble getting their first serves in. Mirza and Peer managed only 33 percent of their first serves against 50 percent for Szavay and Uhlirova. But 75 percent success on their second serve saw the Indian-Israeli pair through into the next round. Szavay and Uhlirova could win less than half their second serves.
Mirza and Peer, who also scored a straight sets win over Sofia Arvidsson of Sweden and Lilia Osterloh of the US in the opening round, now face the top seeded pair of American Lisa Raymond and Australian Samantha Stosur for a place in the quarterfinals.
This remains Mirza's best performance at Wimbledon so far. She has never progressed beyond the second round in singles where she lost to the 11th seeded Russian Nadia Petrova in straight sets.
Her best at a Grand Slam event was a fourth round appearance at the 2005 US Open. The same year she also made it to the Australian Open third round. At the French Open and Wimbledon, she has never gone past the second round in singles.
But Mirza, who turns 21 in November, has shown much promise in doubles, having made it to the third round at the French Open and US Open last year and the Australian Open in January.
Weather permitting, Mirza also plays the mixed doubles first round match later Tuesday partnering compatriot Mahesh Bhupathi against Janette Hasurova of Slovakia and David Skoch of the Czech Republic.
Indian Leander Paes and Czech Martin Damm, seeded fifth, are scheduled to play their men's doubles third round match against the American duo of David Martin and Scott Lipsky Tuesday.
Paes, seeded eighth in mixed doubles with American Meghann Shaughnessy, also faces the Czech pairing of Jaroslav Levinsky and Renata Voracova in a second round match later in the day.
Also carrying the Indian challenge Tuesday is Rupesh Roy who faces local lad Sean Thronley in the boys' singles opening round.