Sania Mirza blamed a lack of match practice after being eliminated in the first round of the French Open on Tuesday. The world number 91 is trying to regain form after an injury-plagued 2008, but looked short of sharpness in a rain-hit 6-4 7-6 (3) defeat to Kazakhstan’s Galina Voskoboeva.

“It was tough conditions to play in, going on the court and then going off, and it was windy,” said Mirza. “I haven’t had too much practice as well because I injured my wrist again after (the) Madrid (Open) and had to head back home and get that treated. And it’s not one of my favourite surfaces to play on.

“But I take nothing away from her. She played really well, she served really well and I think that was the difference.”

Mirza held to love in an emphatic opening service game before the heavens opened, forcing the players off with the score 1-1. The 22-year-old surrendered her serve in the first game after the rain delay and spurned two chances to break back in game six, letting another two break points slip by at 4-3 down as Voskoboeva, 24, closed out the set.

The players exchanged breaks twice in the second set before Russia-born Voskoboeva, the world number 81, took advantage of her opponent’s misfiring serve to clinch victory in the tie-break, sealing her win with an ace.

Injured Yuki out of French Open

New Delhi: Australian Open junior champion Yuki Bhambri will not be able to play at the junior event of the French Open as he attempts to recover from an ankle injury. The 16-year-old, who reached the Capital on Sunday, hurt his ankle in a doubles match at a Futures event in Kuwait last week. “I injured it right at the end of the match, I can’t even run on it now. It swells up if I exert too much pressure on it. It’s obviously a disappointment to miss out on playing a Grand Slam, but it’ll take at least two weeks to heal,” said Yuki on Tuesday.