Stanford (California, USA): Sania Mirza jumped with joy at midcourt when her last forehand fell untouched, completing a 4-6, 7-5, 7-6 (5) win over Akiko Morigami at the Bank of West Classic.
She has a large fan base in the Bay Area and the group made sure their cheers and hoots were heard in her first-round match on Tuesday.
"I always love to come to a big stadium and hear them," Sania said of her supporters. "The crowd really got me going."
Morigami played in the final at Cincinnati on Sunday and Sania was a semi-finalist there on Saturday. They both had plenty of energy for the match that lasted more than three hours.
"The whole match was a matter of a couple points either way," Sania said. "(Morigami) is in good form and playing well. She didn't miss. I had to try and change my game plan."
Sania, who underwent right knee surgery in March and missed 10 weeks, required a medical timeout near the end of the third set, although it was due to cramping in her left quad.
"I would never call for a trainer at 6-5 in the third set if I didn't have to," she said. "I started to feel it when I served and I noticed I was sweating and very tight."
Sixth-seeded Tatiana Golovin and eighth-seeded Sybille Bammer were early first-round winners.
Golovin, who won her first career WTA Tour title at Amelia Island earlier in the year, topped qualifier Viktoriya Kutuzova 6-2, 6-2. Bammer, who also won her first tour championship at Pattaya City, beat 29th-ranked Ai Sugiyama 6-4, 6-2.
"I had to try and get into a rhythm," Golovin said. "I knew I had to get the ball in and force her to make mistakes."
The 19th-ranked Golovin, who has been slowed by a right ankle injury since April, will meet Sania in the next round.
"I'll see how my ankle holds up," Golovin said. "I still think about it but hopefully it is a done deal."
The 22nd-ranked Bammer, who reached the fourth round of the French Open, will take on Meilen Tu in the second round.
In other first-round matches, Maria Kirilenko beat Victoria Azarenka 3-6, 7-5, 6-4 in her first match since injuring her ankle; qualifier Olga Govortsova beat wildcard Catalina Castano 6-4, 6-2, and qualifier Yaroslava Shvedova eliminated Julia Vakulenko 3-6, 6-3, 6-2.
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