Somdev, Sania advance to second round of US Open

While Sania opened with a roller-coaster 6-2 3-6 6-3 win over Olga Govortsova of Belarus in women's singles, qualifier Somdev got the better of Portugal's Frederico Gil 6-3 6-4 6-3 in the men's competition.
The 162nd-ranked Somdev will take on German 23rd seed Philipp Kohlschreiber, who defeated Italy's Andreas Seppi 6-0 6-4 6-4 in the second round.
The 74th-ranked Sania also has a tough match at hand against old nemesis Italian 10th seed Flavia Pennetta.
"I'm really happy we have two players in the second round of a Grand Slam. Things are looking up," Sania said after her win.
Somdev, meanwhile, said the scoreline might show a straight-set win but he had to toil hard on the court.
"I really dug in there, didn't get tight. I competed well. That's what gets you through those tough ones - the way you compete," he said.
Somdev played a solid service game in the contest which lasted more than two hours, breaking his rival seven times.
"I don't want to jinx myself but I feel good about where I am. I've had a couple of quality wins. It gives me a lot of confidence and belief that I can come out and compete with anyone. My game is up there with the rest," he said.
Sania, on the other hand, had to fight it out harder but was helped by her opponent's weak serve and unforced errors.
The Indian ace broke her rival seven times and served marginally better to come through in the match that lasted close to two hours.
"The toughest thing is to get that first win under your belt. Under the circumstances I'm just happy I can come through that match and get off to a good start. To me it has already been successful," she said.
On her nagging wrist problem, Sania said the injury that threatened her career at one point is finally healing.
"I'm happy with the way I'm playing. Physically I've never been fitter in terms of the way I'm moving on the court and playing in matches.
"I came up with the big shot that I needed to have. I have that big weapon when I need to use it," the 24-year-old said.
The recently-engaged star said she was ready for a grand comeback after spending a lot of time on the sidelines due to injuries.
"I'm at that stage where I'm ready to go up again and go into the new year with confidence. The major wrist problem is finally gone. It's about trying to stay as injury-free as possible," she said.
"You don't realise how much you miss playing tennis until you think you might not be able to play again. That made me really grow as a person. I appreciate it more being on a tennis court now," she added.
The 24-year-old Somdev also promised to touch new heights after going through challenging times since entering the professional circuit.
"I had some matches coming into today and I think that helped. I put in some really good training. Fitness is the strength of my game. Hopefully I will keep that going," he said.
"It has been an emotional roller coaster for me," he said. "You are dealing with a lot of adversity but it makes you better. You keep fighting," he added.

Bhupathi-Knowles  third seeds
Montreal Masters winners Mahesh Bhupathi and Mark Knowles have been seeded third while Leander Paes and Lukas Dlouhy are seeded fourth for the men's doubles event of the US Open.
Bhupathi and Bahmaian Knowles will open their campaign against American James Cerretani and Lovro Zovko of Croatia.
Paes and Dlouhy of Czech Republic face Romanian pair of Victor Hanescue and Grabriel Trifu in their first round match.
Sania Mirza, unseeded for the singles event, hasbeen given 14th seed along with Italian Francesca Schiavone in the women's doubles event.
The draw has not yet been announced for the mixed doubles event.
Paes and Cara Black of Zimbabwe are defending champions.
Bhupathi and Sania will pair up for their mixed doubles campaign, if Sania decides to compete in the event.
Sania's participation in the mixed doubles event has come under cloud due to pain in her right wrist.