Dubai Open: Sania to face Kuznetsova

Sania in Dubai on Monday

Calcutta: After Melbourne and Hyderabad, it’s Dubai’s turn to witness the Sania Mirza storm. The Indian sensation, using another wild card to good use, eked out one more memorable win to kick-start her campaign in the $585,000 Dubai Open.

“The crowd was very supportive… it was just like playing in Hyderabad,” Sania told The Telegraph an hour after her 6-7, 6-4, 6-1 win over Croatia’s world No. 36 Jelena Kostanic.

For a girl who has made it a habit of humbling higher-ranked opponents, this was by far the teenager’s biggest win. Sania’s previous ‘best’ was Chinese world No. 61 Jie Zheng, at the Hyderabad Open earlier this month.

“The first set was a bit up and down, I led 4-1, then she came back… I had my chances but couldn’t take them,” Sania said. “The second set was close. Once I took that, I played solid tennis in the third.”

The ankle injury hasn’t subsided totally, but unlike in Hyderabad, she didn’t have to take painkillers or wear a thigh strapping. “I didn’t feel any discomfort,” Sania said. “The crowd was rooting for me so much, it would have lifted my game anyway.”

Among those in the stands was former Davis Cupper Zeeshan Ali, now settled in Dubai. There were some other family friends of the Mirzas as well.

Up next for Sania is an even bigger name, US Open champion Svetlana Kuznetsova. “Everyone knows she’s a very good player… it will be a tough match. I’ll just go out and play as I have been playing over the past few weeks,” Sania signed off on her customary confident note.