10 August,2009 11:00 AM IST | | PTI
Top seed Sania Mirza's quest for a second successive ITF title ended in disappointment as she squandered a one set advantage to go down to local favourite Stephanie Dubois in the finals of the $75,000 Vancouver Open.
Sania lost 6-1, 4-6, 4-6 against a gritty Stephanie, who said the Hyderabadi ace looked jaded after playing tough quarter-final and semi-final matches incidentally against Canadians.
With a partisan crowd egging her on, Stephanie staged a remarkable comeback after being blown away by Sania in the opening set. Both the players struggled to hold serve in the match but it was Sania who ended up paying more for the mistakes as the Stephanie raised her game at crucial junctures.
"I think that the other Canadians tired her a little bit, they had a really good match, (both) of them," said Stephanie.
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Sania thanked the few Indian fans who turned up to support her in the match.
"I guess it helps that we're a billion of us," she joked.
Sania won the ITF title in Lexington, USA last week. The injury-prone Indian is on a comeback trail after recuperating from a wrist surgery. Sania walked away with $6,080 for her effort in Vancouver.
