Shivika to face fifth-seed Ekshibarova in second round

Mumbai, Feb 22 (PTI) India''s Shivika Burma will facefifth seed and world number 558 Vlada Ekshibarova ofUzbekistan in the second round of the MSLTA ITF Women''s tennistournament in Aurangabad here tomorrow.

Shivika had registered a hard-fought 7-6(6) 2-6 7-6(2)victory over compatriot Rishika Sunkara in the first round.

Ekshibarova had ousted seventh seed V Wongteanchai ofThailand 6-3 6-2.

Top-seed Han Sung-Hee of Korea will face compatriot Han,Na Lae in the second round.

World number 401 Sung-Hee had defeated India''s AnkitaRaina 6-4, 6-4, in the first round, while Na Lae had oustedlocal girl Natasha Pahla to reach the second round of the USD10000 prize money tournament.

World number 449 and second seed Nicha Leptpitaksinchaiwill face Italy''s Bigi Indra, while third-seed and worldnumber 451 Nicole Clerico, who ended the campaign of SheetalGoutam 6-0, 6-2, will take on Anja Prislan from Slovenia.

Eighth-seed Li Ting of China, who breezed past AnkitaBhatia of India 6-2 6-2, will meet Singapore''s Stefanie Tan,who overcame Netherlands Lissane Van Riet 6-3, 7-6(5).

Other second matches will be played between: Ai Yamamoto(Jap) vs. Shaozhuo Liu (Chn) (4); Kanae Hisami (Jap) vs.

Varatchaya Wongteanchai (Tha) (7); Luksika Kumkhum (Tha) (6)vs. So Ra Lee (Kor).