Pressure? Sania takes it in her stride

HYDERABAD, FEBRUARY 8 The pressure was definitely on Sania Mirza, as she later admitted. The impact of her run at the Australian Open meant the crowds turned up to see nothing but a win. She delivered, and in style. On the other hand, Shikha Uberoi, with comparatively little to lose, lost the match by allowing Melinda Czink to exploit her mistakes to the hilt and win 6-7 (5), 6-3, 6-2. She exited the court and the tournament shaking her head after an error-ridden game and a loss of momentum just when it was needed. That was the difference between the two. Sania went all out from the start, playing her shots and not allowing her opponent Delia Sescioreanu (Romania) to settle. She won 6-2, 7-5. The only resistance was in the second set, before Delia found the going tough and cracked. Critics could argue that Shikha, ranked 148, played a player ranked 20 places higher, and Sania had an easier round but the bottomline was that Sania simply played better. Sania had the power to hit winners when it mattered, while Shikha relied more on her opponent’s errors. Shikha served badly, while Sania used her first serve to good effect and made variations in speed and angles to create the opportunity for the kill. Sania pushed every single opportunity, especially in the first set, demolishing her opponent with neat powerful returns to either side. In the second set Sania took Delia to the limits in the 7th game, which had nine deuces, including four break points in her favour. And only an over-ambitious hit over the baseline delayed her victory. ‘‘I really pushed hard in that game’’, she later said. Shikha, by contrast, had three double faults in the 5th game of the second set. Thereafter it was mistimed shots that did her in. And her medical timeout was another indication that this was not her day.