Sania slips to 61, Bhupathi slides too

New Delhi, Oct 9 (UNI) Sania Mirza's inconsistent show pushed her six places down the ladder and the Hyderabadi tennis ace slipped to 61 in the latest WTA Singles Rankings announced today.

In men's doubles rankings, Davis Cup captain Leander Paes clings on to his 10th place, while his estranged partner Mahesh Bhupathi slid two rungs to 26th, according to information received here.

Sania has been flashy throughout the season. After her semifinal defeat against Martina Hingis in the Sunfeast Open, the Indian turned the table on the former world number one and knocked Hingis out of the Korea Open in the second round.

Sania's form, however, deserted her in Tashkent Open last week where she lost to lower ranked Olga Poutchkova of Russia in the quarter-finals and the slump in form saw her slipping from her last week's 55th place in the ranking ladder. She now has 397 ranking points in her kitty.

Among her compatriots, US-based Shikha Uberoi (125.50) moved up six places to 213, while her Fed Cup teammate Ankita Bhambri (53) also gained two notches to finish at 361. Isha Lakhani (45.50) climbed four places to 385 even though seasoned campaigner Rushmi Chakravarthi slipped a step to 457.

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