Auckland: Sania Mirza inched closer to the main draw of WTA ASB Classic after progressing to the final round of the qualifying event, following a straight set win over Silvia Soler Espinosa here.
The unseeded Indian, ranked 141, beat the Spaniard 6-2, 6-2 in the second round of the USD 220,000 event, which is a run-up event to the Australian Open.
Sania will next face Germany's world number 175 Sabine Lisicki, who was world number 23 in 2009 but has been struggling with a left ankle injury in the recent past.
Sania had stunned eighth seed Stefanie Voegele of Switzerland 6-4, 6-0 in her opening round.
PTI
First Published: Sunday, January 02, 2011, 17:21