Indian struggles to a three-set win over Govortsova, 10th seed Flavia Pennetta is up next India's Sania Mirza produced a battling display to reach the second round of the US Open yesterday by defeating Olga Govortsova of Belarus 6-2, 3-6, 6-3. 
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Sania Mirza in action during her 6-2, 3-6, 6-3 win over Belarussian Olga Govortsova in the first round of the US Open yesterday. PIC/AFP</td></tr></tbody></table>It was a hard-fought triumph for the 22-year-old from Hyderabad, whose willingness to force the pace by coming into the net made the difference in a game between two big hitters. Mirza won the first set comfortably enough behind her trademark forehand, but she lost her way in the second as the tall 20-year-old from Minsk took command to level the scores. Roller-coaster The third set was a roller-coaster with first one player, then the other failing to hold their serves. Mirza edged ahead 5-3 with another break of serve and this time she held on to reach the second round at a tournament in which she had her best-ever Grand Slam performance with a run into the fourth round on her debut in 2005. But she will have to step up a gear when taking on in-form Italian 10th seed Flavia Pennetta if she wants to reach the third round. Mirza, who was out with a wrist injury for much of 2008, has struggled to get back to her best form this year and the US Open is her best chance of improving on her world ranking or 74. Her career best ranking was 27th in August, 2007. Clijsters on a roll Meanwhile, the aches and pains have gone and Kim Clijsters is once again in the thick of Grand Slam action at the US Open. The 26-year-old Belgian on Monday played her first match at Flushing Meadows since winning the title with a straight sets win over Mary Pierce four years ago and she impressed with a 6-1, 6-1 win over Victoriya Kutuzova of Ukraine. It is her third tournament back in action since returning from a two years and three months retirement brought on by the physical exertions that top-level tennis imposed on her body. "Those injuries I had were never really career-threatening, but they were a problem because they were always lingering and they kind of stopped me from moving the way I wanted to especially the ones to the hip and lower back," she said. "But now I have some good people around me who know my body and I know my body better as well so you learn how to deal with the little issues coming up and I think now I'm a little bit more mature."

Indian struggles to a three-set win over Govortsova, 10th seed Flavia Pennetta is up next

Sania Mirza struggles to reach Round Two of US Open

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Sania Mirza struggles to reach Round Two of US Open

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