The 29th ranked Indian could not find her bearings and went out of the USD 2,340,000 Tier I tournament in an hour and 15 minutes.

Sania was coming off a quarter-final appearance at the Japan Open but could not continue her good form in the Russian capital.

Service was again the bugbear for the Hyderabad girl as she sent down as many as nine double faults.

She won only 48 per cent of points on her first serve and 26 per cent on her second while committing 40 unforced errors in comparison to her opponent's 31.

Her return game was good as she broke the 41-ranked Dulko five times but returned the favour on seven occasions.

The Argentine made a hat-trick of wins over the Indian star after getting the better of her at the 2005 French Open and the Tier III event at Pattaya City in Thailand in February this year.