Miami Open: Mirza and Hingis face shock exit against unseeded pair
Sania Mirza and Martina Hingis' poor run of form continued as they were knocked out in the 2nd round of the Miami Open after a 6-4, 6-2 defeat against the unseeded pair of Margarita Gasparyan and Monica Niculescu. 'SanTina' were the defending champions in this tournament having won it back in 2015.
The Indo-Swiss pair's performance has dipped after their quarter-final exit at the Qatar Open last month, which ended their 41-match unbeaten streak. Earlier this month, the World No. 1 pair bowed out in the second round of the BNP Paribas Open at Indian Wells, after a straight-set defeat, their first since last summer, to Vania King and Alla Kudryavtseva - another unseeded pair.
Mirza and Hingis were the defending champions of the Miami Open, having lifted the crown last year after defeating Ekaterina Makarova and Elena Vesnina in the final. However, their hopes of defending the title were washed away after another inexplicable straight-set loss in the second round of the tournament.
Their opponents produced a stunning display in the first set and won four games to race to a 5-1 lead. Mirza and Hingis did fight back, but eventually Gasparyan and Niculescu won the first set 6-4. The second set was a more one-sided affair as the Russo-Romanian pair took a 5-0 lead, before winning it 6-2.
Hingis and Mirza will have to work a lot to get back in their stride ahead of the upcoming French Open – the only Grand Slam the pair have not won so far.
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