Sania pulled off a 7-6(5) 6-2 win over Russian qualifier Vera Dushevina in the WTA Tier II tournament late night on Tuesday.

The 32nd ranked India will next challenge fourth seed Jelena Jankovic of Serbia on Centre Court.

In a difficult opening set, which was stretched to a tie-breaker, Sania broke Vera twice but the advantage was neutralised as the Russian exploited her chances well late in the set.

The two ladies fought tooth and nail in the tie-breaker.

as Sania came back from 2-4 to draw parity at 4-all and eventually pocketed the set to go 1-0 up.

Sania broke Vera thrice in the second set also compelled her to make unforced errors.

The Hyderabad girl said the second set was also a close affair than the scoreline suggested.

"The first set had its close moments and some lucky breaks on the sidelines had Vera in problems. The second was closer than what it looked," she said after the match in on-court interview.

Sania, however, refused that she would be under pressure against Jankovic at their Centre Court showdown.