Sania Mirza (current singles ranking 42) defeated Mashona Washington (current singles ranking 65) in the 1st round US Open Women's Singles Match. It wasn't a very convincing three set win. The three set match lasted 2 hours and 13 minutes, with the first two set going to tie-breaker. See Match Statistics
Sania Mirza (India), severely hampered by a strained abdominal muscle, needed to dig deep into her reserves to outclass Mashona Washington (USA) 7-6(8-6), 6-7(6-8), 6-4.
Whereas the 18-year old Indian was not in her best fitness, 29-year old Mashona's fragile temperament proved to be a counterpoint, making it a melodramatic contest.
Both the teenagers seemed to be conscious of the big stage and the early phase of the match was spent in testing each other's weaknesses and strength. This was Sania's debut match in the US Open, whereas Mashona was playing in her sixth US Open.
Sania went up, breaking Mashona in the very first game but the American bounced back with two successive breaks to go up 4-2. But serving for the set, Mashona was broken. In the tie-breaker, Mashona's nerves frayed and she let go a two set point advantage to Sania. Sania won the tie-breaker 8-6 and the first set lasted 47 minutes.
The second set was a ding-dong battle that saw Sania fail to close the match after going 3-1 up. Mashona did well to come back twice from a break behind while Sania lunging to avert a break in the 12th game and pushed the set into the tie-breaker. Again Sania went up 3-0 only to allow Mashona to claw-back and in frustration Sania flung her raquet to the ground. Mashona, the local lass, failed to convert two set points but was successful on third break point. Mashona won the tie-breaker 8-6 and the second set lasted 48 minutes.
In the decider, Sania again took the lead after breaking Mashona in the first game. But she surprisingly failed to put away two simple forehands, her strong points. Fortunately for Sania, Mashona was proving to be error-prone. After levelling the score 3-3, the American committed two double faults to hand Sania a 5-4 lead. Yet, the Hyderabadi lass had to stamp out a last minute challenge by Mashona who forced three break points. Sania finally clinched the issue when Mashona put a forehand wide and won the decider 6-4. The third set lasted 38 minutes.
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Maria is playing in her fourth US Open and ended the 2004 season ranked 43 and is currently ranked 81.
23-year old Maria Elena Camerin defeated Darina Safina (seeded No. 21) of Russia 6-3 6-7 (5-7) 6-3.
US Open 1st Round Match Statistics
| Istset | IIndset | IIIrdset | |
| Mashona Washington USA | 6(6) | 7(8) | 4 |
| Sania Mirza IND | 7(8) | 6(6) | 6 |
| Elapsed Time by Set | 47 | 48 | 38 |
| MATCH SUMMARY | ||
| Washington(USA) | Mirza(IND) | |
| Percentage 1st Serve in | 66 of 112 = 59% | 68 of 120 = 57% |
| Aces | 2 | 0 |
| Double Faults | 8 | 6 |
| Unforced Errors | 52 | 45 |
| Winning % on 1st Serve | 47 of 66 = 71 % | 44 of 68 = 65 % |
| Winning % on 1st Serve | 19 of 46 = 50 % | 25 of 52 = 54 % |
| Winners (Including Service) | 38 | 21 |
| Receiving Points Won | 51 of 120 = 43 % | 46 of 112 = 41 % |
| Break Point Conversions | 5 of 14 = 36 % | 6 of 10 = 60 % |
| Total Points Won | 117 | 115 |
| Fastest Serve | 108 MPH | 106 MPH |
| Average 1st Serve Speed | 98 MPH | 91MPH |
| Average 1st Serve Speed | 93 MPH | 79 MPH |
US OPEN - Flushing Meadows facts & figures
2005 US OPEN PRIZE MONEY: Men's and women's singles
Winner:US$1,100,000 (£608,743) Runner-up:$550,000 (£304,447)
Semi-final:$270,000 (£149,455)
Quarter-final:$135,000 (£74,726)
Fourth round:$70,000 (£38,738)
Third round:$40,000 (£22,136)
Second round: $25,000 (£13,833)
First round:$15,000 (£8,300)
