March 07, 2006 17:42 IST
The string of early round losses finally made an impact as India's tennis ace Sania Mirza fell out of the top 30 in the latest WTA Tour rankings released on Tuesday.
Sania, who has failed to go beyond the second round this season so far, was ranked 45th, a fall of nine places from last week's position of 36.
Remaining in the top 30 in world rankings is crucial for a player since it gets direct entry into the top Tier tournaments on the professional tour beside helping being seeded in Grand Slams.
The 19-year-old Indian has entered in the 2.1 million dollar Pacific Open at Indian Wells this week where she has a first round bye and awaits a qualifier in the second round.
