Sania-Martina ease into Eastbourne quarters

Doubles partners Hingis(L) and Mirza (R)

Eastbourne (England), June 24 (IANS) Indo-Swiss tennis pair of Sania Mirza and Martina Hingis thrashed their unseeded opponents in only 46 minutes to enter the women's doubles quarter-finals of the $731,000 Eastbourne International, the final warm-up tournament before Wimbledon.

In the first round match, the top seeds won 12 of the 14 games played to triumph 6-0, 6-2 against Dutch-Czech combine of Michaella Krajicek and Karolina Pliskova on the outdoor grass courts of Devonshire Park Lawn Tennis Club here on Tuesday.

Sania and Martina kept a 100 percent record in the first set as they won all three of their service games and also broke their opponents thrice in as many opportunities made available to cleansweep the set with absolute ease.

Though Michaella and Karolina also got two breakpoint opportunities, the top seeds were able to save both. A couple of double faults from the Dutch-Czech pair also did not help matters.

They came back better in the second set to win a breakpoint. However, Sania and Martina upped the ante to win three breakpoints, out of six chances, in the second set too to close the match in their favour.

In total, the top seeds won 54 of the 84 points played in the match and will next take on Chinese Taipei-Italian pair of Hao-Chang Chan and Flavia Pennetta in the quarterfinals on Wednesday.