Sania Mirza of India watches her winner scream pass Mashona Washington(USA)

Sania Mirza of India watches her winner scream pass Mashona Washington(USA) on her way to a 7-6(6) 6-7(6) 6-4 victory.

Photo by: Jonathan Fickies

Sania's all the rage in NY

NEW YORK: There's interest and intrigue surrounding the 18-year-old Indian in locker rooms, media centres and viewing galleries around the world.

There's a fair bit of animosity too, as in the case of defending US Open champion Svetlana Kuznetsova.

Love or loathe her, Sania Mirza is dominating conversations in and around tennis. Not all of the game's big guns have played her or know her but they have all heard of the big-hitting Hyderabadi.

From world number one Lindsay Davenport to Russian rage Maria Sharapova and former US Open champion Justine Henin-Hardenne, they all know off the nose-ringed Indian, who has jumped over 150 slots in the WTA ranking since the start of the year.

Kim Clijsters, the friendly Belgian, seeded fourth and favourite to win the title here, took her hat off to Sania. "She is definitely a girl with a lot of talent," Clijsters said. "She's very nice too. I spoke to her a few times in Toronto last week. She's very easy going. I think her best tennis is incredible. She's probably hitting the ball a lot harder and cleaner than lot of the top girls but she's still a little inconsistent. She'll learn through experience and I definitely think she's going to be a very good player."

At the pre-tournament interview session on Sunday, where players are asked about everything from eye make-up to attitude to retirement plans, Russian Kuznetsova, the Indian's first top-ten victim earlier in the year in Dubai, when asked what she thought of Sania's growing status in the game, rolled her eyes and asked the moderator, "What has this got to do with the US Open?"

Then, as an afterthought, the chunky pro added dryly, "She's a great player. She has a very good forehand. She has to play lots of matches and improve but she can play good."

With the media the questions are unending ranging from the curious to the ridiculous. A local journalist wanted to know how rare it is for an Indian girl to play sport. Another asked if it was okay for a "a Muslim girl to wear short skirts?"

They want to know how much of a celebrity she is back home "because with the Indian community around the world she's a hero."

On Sunday at the USTA Tennis Centre there were a fair bit of Indians watching players practice in the hope of catching a glimpse of Sania, who is scheduled to play American Mashona Washington on a showcourt on Monday. "We are really proud of her," Raj Ganapathy, originally from Hyderabad, now residing in Manhattan, said. For an Indian girl to be in the world's top-50 is something. Mind you, she's not from the big cities like Delhi, Mumbai or Chennai. For a girl from a small city to do what she has is incredible. She's got great attitude and that's what this city is all about."

Seems tricky, but Sania can put it across Camerin

MICKY AIGNER

PUNE, AUGUST 30: If Mashona Washington was a tough opponent for Sania Mirza in the opener yesterday, the next round could be equally tricky as Maria Elena Camerin is one of the four players who caused upsets in the women’s section on Day One at the US Open.

Sania’s inconsistency, as was evident in her first match, will surely not give her a second chance considering the form the Italian displayed to beat Dinara Safina, seeded No 21 here. With Camerin on a high, things may be bleak for Sania. Even her match stats — 21 winners, a high percentage of unforced errors (45) with only 41 per cent winners on receiving points — don’t paint an encouraging picture and suggest that a repeat would mean the end of the road for her at the Open.

But Sania has had it relatively easy against the Italians — she beat Tathiana Garbin and Roberta Vinci, both ranked much higher than Camerin, in straight sets this year. This should put the Indian psychologically in a better frame of mind. Sania also has another advantage. The hard court surface suits her style of play while the Italians are not comfortable.

Statistically, Sania has been quite progressive this year making 127 places up the WTA ladder as compared to Camerin. While Sania began 2005 ranked 169 Camerin — currently ranked 81 — has slipped from 43. Likewise, Camerin has hardly managed to negotiate an opponent beyond Round Two on hard courts, which surely puts Sania in the driver’s seat since she’s reached a final and has had an impressive preparation.

With Sania having scored wins against Top-10 players, she should be able to handle Camerin. But going by the Italian’s form, it could be anyone’s match.

Sania staves off Mashona challenge

NEW YORK: Sania Mirza overcame her own fitness problems and a volatile opponent to clinch a thrilling first round win in the women's singles at the US Open here.

Sania, severely hampered by a strained abdominal muscle, needed to dig deep into her reserves, on Monday, to beat 19-year-old Mashona Washington of USA 7-6 (6), 6-7 (6), 6-4 in two hours and 13 minutes.

Whereas the 18-year-old Indian was not in her best fitness, Mashona's fragile temperament proved to be a counterpoint, making it a melodramatic contest.

Both the teenagers seemed to be conscious of the big stage and the early phase of the match was spent in testing each other's weaknesses and strength.

While Sania played a steady game, Mashona blew hot and cold. Sania went up, breaking Mashona in the first game but the American bounced back with two successive breaks to go 4-2 up.

But serving for the set, Mashona was broken. In the tiebreaker, Mashona's nerves frayed and she could not convert her two set points.

The second set was a ding-dong battle that saw Sania fail to close the match after going 3-1 up.

Mashona did well to come back twice from a break behind while Sania hung on to deny a break in the 12th game and pushed the set into a tiebreaker.

Again Sania raced to a 3-0 lead only to allow Mashona to claw back. Mashona converted her on third set point to make it one-set all.

In the decider, Sania broke Mashona in the first game, but surprisingly failed to put away at least two simple forehands, always her strong point.

Fortunately for Sania, Mashona was error-prone. After levelling the score at 3-3, the American committed two double faults to hand Sania a 5-4 lead.

The Hyderabadi girl had to stamp out a last minute challenge from Mashona, who forced three more break points. Sania finally clinched the issue when Mashona put a forehand wide.

Sania at home in Big Apple's core

NEW YORK: In a year in which Sania Mirza paraded her considerable gifts on the world stage — from Hobart to Hyderabad and Strasbourg to San Diego — India’s queen of aces may finally be home. The big stage performer is discovering an electric connection with the Big Apple.

New York — America’s largest city, the world’s economic nerve centre, and the quintessential capital of entertainment and arts — is also home to the US Open, tennis'rock and roll slam. Significantly, Sania, raised in the heat and dust of chilly-craving, biryani-loving Hyderabad, was born to the stage. The bigger the better. On big points, when some players choke, she scores, juts her chin and pumps her fist. When the crowd roars she rocks.

"I love New York," Sania said, laughter ringing through her voice. "It is one of my most favourite cities in the world. It is not one particular place or thing, even though I really like the Manhattan area very much. It is just everything. It is so easy to lose yourself here."

Fittingly, this week at the Forest Hills women’s tennis classic in New York, Sania made her second WTA singles final of the year. Unfortunately in the title round on Saturday she went down battling 6-3, 5-7, 4-6 to Lucie Safarova of the Czech Republic. The key then to the 18-year-old’s maiden US Open women’s campaign will be in bringing her biggest game on court. The Indian, ranked 50, opens against seasoned American Mashona Washington, 56.

The highlight of Sania’s play this year has been her fearless hitting from the back of the court. Her forehand, quickly becoming the most talked about in tennis, is absolutely lethal as much for the pace it generates as for the angles she makes. There’s no such thing as being in position for Sania she goes for it from anywhere. It is a stroke of naked aggression, struck by instinct more than design. Sania knows what to expect from the 29-year-old Washington. "She is obviously a very good player, very experienced. It is not going to be an easy match. In fact there are no easy matches at this level," the Indian teenager said. "My focus is mainly on playing my game. Winning and losing are part of the game. It is the challenge that fires me up."

If Sania comes through her opening round test she could run into Russian teenager Dinara Safina, seeded 21. A match-up that could reveal how far Sania has travelled these last eight months. However, the first round is as far as the Indian will look.

The Grand Slams more than any other tournament is an obstacle race of the mind. If it is the heat and the timing of the event that tests the resilience of the pro in Melbourne, it is the slowness of Paris’s clay and Wimbledon’s annoying weather that asks the tough questions. In New York, it is about coping with the rush of life — on the streets, on the stands, on the court. Leander Paes likens the City to a boxing ring. "There’s no place to hide here," he said.

Not that Sania is looking to hide. In fact, she’s on the opposite end of the stick. She might well be humming Frank Sinatra’s lines, "I want to wake up in the city that never sleeps. To find I am king of the hill, top of the heap.. I’ll make a brand new start in old New York. If I make it there I’ll make it anywhere."

Sania jumps to 42 in world rankings

Sania Mirza failed to convert her second final appearance of the year at the $75,000 women's tennis event in Forest Hills, New York, into a successful one but saw her world ranking jump to a career best 42.

Sania went down to the 66th ranked Lucie Safarova of the Czech Republic 3-6 7-5 6-4 in the final of the 16-draw size event on Saturday, but would be happy that she gained ample match practice ahead of the US Open Grand Slam which starts in New York on Monday.

Playing after a near fortnight's rest following an abdominal strain, the 18-year-old gained 67 circuit points, which combined with bonus points, pushed her ranking eight places from last week's position of 50 on the WTA computer.

The Hyderabadi also was richer by $12,000, her purse for reaching the final of the Tier 4 event.

Sania is set to play Mashona Washington of the USA in the first round of the year's final Grand Slam at Flushing Meadows.

Her only concern would be the stomach muscle which has been troubling her through the US hard court season and saw her lose in the first round of a WTA Tour event in Los Angeles two weeks ago.

Safarova beats Sania in Forest Hills final

India's Sania Mirza's impressive run in the $75,000 Forest Hills Women's Tennis Classic championship came to an end on Saturday as she lost the title clash to Czech Republic's Lucie Safarova.

Safarova 6-3, 5-7, 4-6 beat third seed Sania.

This was her last WTA event in the run up to the US Open beginning on Monday.

Teenage tennis idol Sania knocks spots off India's cricketers

GULU EZEKIEL

INDIA is currently being swept by Sania Mania. In a nation where cricket is king and cricketers are treated - and behave - like royalty, a teenage tennis player has suddenly pushed them off the headlines and the TV screens.

Sania Mirza is the new rising star of the circuit, climbing from 206 in the WTA rankings less than a year ago to 48, the best by an Indian woman and by any Indian player since Wimbledon junior champion Ramesh Krishan in the late '80s. Currently, she is at No50 with a 22-15 season record. Thirteen of those wins have come against players ranked higher than her, including the world-ranked seven and nine. On Friday, she advanced to the final of the Forest Hills Classic in New York State.

These achievements have made her an instant celebrity in India and today she is the only sportsperson who can rival cricketers for the number of products she endorses. Massive crowds saw her win a WTA tour event in her home town of Hyderabad shortly after the Australian Open and today she cannot step out of her home without two bodyguards. It is an unwanted price of fame and something she is just beginning to get used to at the age of 18. Her mobile number is kept a secret from Indian sports journalists who are known to call up day and night pleading for quotes.

Mirza is also the only Muslim woman on the international circuit and that has made the focus on her even sharper. Coming from a conservative Islamic family in the capital of the south-eastern state of Andhra Pradesh, Mirza has managed to smash numerous stereotypes on her way to tennis stardom in a nation where sports success outside of cricket are few and far between. But there has been an undercurrent of tension along the way.

Father Imran - a club cricketer himself and distantly related to former India captain Ghulam Ahmed and Pakistan captain Asif Iqbal - has repeatedly expressed his concern over the revealing outfits worn on the tour.

Her answer? "I am a devout Muslim and try to pray five times a day. As for my outfits, my religion is a forgiving one and I hope I will be forgiven for this as well. After all, tennis is a game which requires mobility so such clothes are a necessity."

And she does have loftier matters to ponder. "It is human nature to want more and I now want to make it to the top 20," she says.

At 18, she has already made waves by reaching the third round at the Australian Open before bowing out in a tight finish to Serena Williams. It was the best performance by an Indian woman in a Grand Slam. She made it to the second round at Wimbledon before going out in three sets to Russia's reigning US Open champion Svetlana Kuznetsova, the same player she had shocked in the Dubai Open earlier in the year.

Asked what she has learned this year, she says: "I learned I'm more confident than I thought I was and much more determined. I can do anything to compete."

That confidence manifests itself in her fearless ground strokes and in-your-face attitude that has raised eyebrows in a nation unused to seeing such aggression in a sportswoman.

"Going for my shots has brought me so far and if my unforced errors are high, the winners compensate."

Mirza was recently ranked second - unsurprisingly to cricket superstar Sachin Tendulkar - in a national youth icon poll conducted by a weekly newsmagazine and has just been awarded one of the nation's top sports honours, the Arjuna Award.

Currently coached by John Farrington of the Bahamas, her progress at Flushing Meadows will be keenly followed by millions back home.

Sania drawn in Sharapova’s quarter

New York: World No. 1 Roger Federer will begin the defence of his US Open crown next week against Ivo Minar of the Czech Republic.

Women’s world No. 1 and top seed Maria Sharapova of Russia faces a tough first-round match against Greek Eleni Daniilidou, while second seed Lindsay Davenport of the US faces Li Na of China.

Indian hope Sania Mirza, who is in Sharapova’s quarter of the draw, will open against world No. 56 Mashona Washington (US). If she wins that one, No. 50 Sania could face 21st seed Dinara Safina.

Federer, who has won nine titles this year, will be content with his draw although he could meet former world No. 1 Juan Carlos Ferrero, the Spanish number 20 seed, in Round IV.

Russian sixth seed Nikolay Davydenko is drawn to be Federer’s quarter-final opponent while Australian third seed Lleyton Hewitt, the man Federer beat to win the title at Flushing Meadow last year, is his likely semi-final opponent.

Andy Roddick and Andre Agassi, the top two American players, were drawn in the opposite half to Federer and could meet in the last four.

Indian trio up

At the US Open qualifiers, Shikha Uberoi defeated Yulia Beygelzimer of Ukraine 0-6, 7-5, 6-3 to advance to the next round of women’s singles.

Harsh Mankad cleared the first hurdle beating Tim Snyczek of the US 6-3, 6-2 and Prakash Amritraj beat Nicolas Mahut of France 7-6 (7-4), 6-4.

Sania to play Mashona in first round of US Open

Indian tennis sensation Sania Mirza will launch her fourth and final Grand Slam campaign of the year against Mashona Washington of USA when the US Open tennis tournament begins in New York on August 29.

Sania's 19-year-old opponent, who is currently ranked 56th, had her best Grand Slam performance in Wimbledon this year when she reached the third round. The six-feet one inch American has only one ITF title to her credit.

The star player, who bagged the Arjuna Award this year, has been placed in the same quarter of the draw as top seed Maria Sharapova and defending champion Svetlana Kuznetsova, who is seeded fifth this year.

Other seeds include Lindsay Davenport of USA, Amelie Mauresmo of, Kim Clijsters of Beljium, Elena Dementieva, Justin Henin-Hardenne of Belgium, Serena Williamns of USA and her two-time champion sister Venus, who is also the current Wimbledon Champion.

Sania has tuned up well with some fine performances which helped her to break into the top-50 in the run-up to the event.

The 18-year-old was troubled by stomach strain a fortnight ago but she came back into action with a successful first round at the Forest Hills, the last WTA event ahead of the US Open.

Sania Mirza defeated 15-year-old wild card Alexa Glatch 6-4, 6-4 on Friday to advance to the final of the Forest Hills Women's Classic.

Sania Mirza defeated 15-year-old wild card Alexa Glatch 6-4, 6-4 on Friday to advance to the final of the Forest Hills Women's Classic.

Mirza will face Lucie Safarova, who beat Iveta Benesova 2-6, 6-1, 6-4.

Glatch, a high school junior from Newport Beach, California, turned pro earlier in 2005. She has received a wild card into the main draw of the US Open, which starts on Monday.

Safarova won a WTA title in Portugal earlier in 2005

Sania struggling with injury on eve of U.S. Open

NEW DELHI: There is worrying news for Sania Mirza fans as the Indian hope is likely go into the U.S. Open without having fully recovered from a pulled abdominal muscle, which has kept her out of action for nearly a fortnight now.

Mirza said that she was still unable to serve at her best despite having taken a week off from the circuit. In fact, the rest was nearly for a fortnight after her early exit from the JP Morgan Chase Open at Los Angeles.

"It has improved, but am yet to recover fully. I didn't touch the racquet for a few days and was only training in a restricted fashion in Toronto. No speed training. I started serving just two days back and am only pushing the ball. Looks like I will need more rest to recover fully. But it will help to have a few matches in the run up to the U.S. Open," she said, on the eve of her return to the circuit.

Her coach John Farrington said that he was confident that Mirza would give her best on court despite her inability to be at her best shape.

Sania can make the top 10: Nirupama

COIMBATORE: Today's tennis is all about power and Sania Mirza has tons of it. She is, no doubt, top material, says Nirupama Sanjeev, the first Indian woman to feature in a Grand Slam event.

In an e-mail interview to The Hindu, the Coimbatorean, who now runs the `Niru's Tennis Academy', along with her brother K.V. Ganesh in California, says: "She also has a great attitude. It's a fine achievement that she has managed to hit the top 50 bracket."

Nirupama says she feels that Sania's quick climb to the top was because of her boldness. "She is fearless and does not respect seedings and rankings. That's very important because most of these things are mental."

The former player, who called it quits due to a recurring shoulder injury, agrees that the younger players are able to plan that much better because the older ones have shown the way. "Well, I started playing pro tournaments only when I was 18. When I was 20, I had no coach to travel with me. If that had happened, I feel I might have done better. But then, I don't believe in speculating on whether I would have or should have done this or that."

Nirupama says regrets the fact that she did not quite have the kind of support from sponsors and the government as Sania does. "I did not have all that. I really did feel that the Tamil Nadu Government could have done something for me as I had won about seven nationals and played for my country for more than a decade."

Nirupama, who watched Sania play at the Stanford championship last month, says that the Hyderabadi can make the top 10 but adds that the challenge for her would be next year, as she starts defending the points.

Sania beats Vinci to enter Forest Hills semis

Indian tennis sensation Sania Mirza registered a facile win against Roberta Vinci of Italy to enter the semifinals of the USD 75,000 Forest Hills Women's Tennis Classic tournament at New York.

Sania, seeded three, defeated the 59th ranked Vinci 6-2, 6-1 on Thursday in the quarter final of the WTA event featuring only 16 players.

The 18-year-old Indian, returning to the circuit after resting for almost a fortnight due to stomach strain, will challenge Alexa Glatch of USA, who defeated Akiko Morigami in the first round and Martina Sucha of Slovakia in the quarters, for a place in the title round.

Sania enters quarters

Sania Mirza is through to the quarterfinals of the Forest Hills Women's Classic in New York.

The Indian seeded third at this tier 4 event beat Shahar Peer 7-6, 6-1.

Peer is ranked 9 places below Sania who is at 50.

The Indian is playing this tournament as her last warm up before the US Open and she has a great chance to win with top seed Akiko Morigami having been knocked out in the first round.

Sania now plays world number 62 Roberto Vinci in the quarterfinals.

In the US Open next week, Sania has been drawn to play world number 56 Mashona Washington but in the 2nd round she could play Dinara Safina who is seeded 21.

Sania maintains 50th spot in WTA

New Delhi, August 22: Indian tennis ace Sania Mirza just about managed to retain her 50th place in the latest WTA singles ranking anounced on Monday.Sania, with 692.75 career points, maintained her place in the top 50 bracket for the third successive week.

The teen sensation had reached her career best ranking of 48 on August 8 and had slipped two places following her first round loss in the USD 585,000 women's tennis event in Los Angeles.

The 18-year-old Indian became the first Indian since Ramesh Krishnan in 1980s to break into the top-50 world rankings.

Sania back in action at Forest Hills

New Delhi, Aug 23 (PTI) Sania Mirza gets back to court after a week off from the WTA tour at the USD 75,000 Forest Hills Women's Classic tournament in New York starting tomorrow.
Sania, who maintained her 50th ranking despite her absence from the circuit last week due to a stomach muscle pull, is seeded third in the tournament which has a draw of only 16 players.

The 18-year-old will take on 59th ranked Sahar Peer of Israel in the first round tomorrow, according to information received here.

Sania would look to avenge her defeat against Peer in the final round of qualifying at the Stanford event four weeks ago.

If Sania cleared the first two hurdles, she would bump into her nemesis Akiko Morigami of Japan in the semifinals. Morigami had beaten the Indian in a few encounters this season.

This will be the Sania's last event in the run-up to the US Open beginning August 29. PTI

Sunfeast Open to feature big names in world tennis

Kolkata: Anastasia Myskina, Sania Mirza, Antonella Serra Zanetti and Laura Pous Tio are some of the top names for the main draw of the Sunfeast WTA Open 2005 next month, the Tournament Committee announced here Sunday.

The qualifying round of the tournament, to be held in the remodelled Netaji Indoor stadium here, will begin from Sep 17, while the main round will be from Sep 19 to 25.

Tournament director Jaidip Mukherjea said: "The $170,000 Sunfeast Open 2005, Kolkata will feature an impressive roster of international stars, including Russian sensation world no. 14 Anastasia Myskina, India's very own world no. 50 Sania Mirza, the rising Croatia star world no. 78 Karolina Sprem and the popular Thai star Tamarine Tanasugarn, to name a few."

"Other well-known players include Italian Zanetti, Tio from Spain and Japan's Rika Fujiwara.

"Backed by some impressive performances, India's another rising talent Shikha Uberoi has also made it to the main draw," he said.

"Apart from those in the main draw, three wild card entrants for the tournament would be announced in due course," Mukherjea said.

"The three wild cards would be decided after seeing the list. If some well-known players want to be entered, they may be given a wild card. Otherwise, Indian players would be preferred," said Bharath Prasad, associate vice-president (event operations) Globosports.

Mukherjea said: "Kolkata has long been the Mecca of Indian cricket. With the rising popularity of Indian tennis, especially with the success of women stars like Mirza and Uberoi, and the growing potential in India, it will no longer be termed as a one-sport country."

"This is probably the first time that India will witness around seven of the top 100 players on the women's circuit battling it out for the coveted title of the Sunfeast Open 2005, Kolkata.

"This augurs well for the prospects of the tournament and will create a platform for some high-voltage tennis action in the weeks to come," he added.

"The inauguration will see something special. We are planning to organise a mixed doubles match featuring Mahesh Bhupathi and Sania and two others. But it's still in the planning stage," said West Bengal Sports Minister Subhas Chakraborty.

Sania Mirza: girl with good attitude

Rohit Brijnath

Drop the word "cocky" around Sania Mirza, and rapidly explain that err, look, it's a compliment but damn, already you can hear her jaw clench. She thinks you're calling her arrogant and she'll have none of that. Airs she doesn't own, conceit she doesn't wear.

What she's got, she explains, is "attitude". Take it down right, her tone suggests, ensure you know the difference. India's gifted, rousing, delightful tennis player is doing what she's done to opponents all year: putting you under pressure.

Being old and all, and "attitude" being from another generation's vocabulary, maybe we'll get it wrong. But attitude perhaps translates to walking tall and proud even when you stroll onto centre court with Serena, it's being in Kuznetsova's face and unapologetic about it, it's an unblinking cool as you beckon challenge, it's being refreshingly and unashamedly ambitious.

Sense of belonging

Coyness doesn't belong here, meekness is not invited. This is about stating, plainly, that I'm good enough and I belong. Sania Mirza wants the world and fine, she may not get it, but you'd have to be crazy not to watch this young spirit as she chases her dream.

Sania Mirza is 18, and she's shattering stereotypes and breaking new ground, a jolt of adrenalin in a lethargic Indian sporting world. Ask what she's learnt this year and she responds: "I learnt I'm more confident than I thought I was and much more determined. I can do anything to compete."

Better believe her, for it has been a year of on-court effrontery. Last year Mirza wasn't even on the WTA Tour. This year she's won one tournament and 22 matches on it, 13 against opponents higher ranked, one ranked No. 9, the other No. 7. Last year she didn't play a slam. This year she got to the third round at one. Last year she was ranked 206, already she's galloped to 48. Not bad for a girl with a gimpy ankle, strained stomach muscles and a serve that's a masterpiece in shoddy construction.

Forceful nature

Mirza is not finished. "I've learnt on the baseline I can match anyone", and she smacks the ball with the grimness of an annoyed headmistress. As she says: "I've been taught to go for my shots, hit as hard as I can. It's a powerful game (out there) and if you push the ball you will be out-hit."

Violence becomes her, risk is a familiar friend, and while in time she will harvest a finer versatility, it is her forceful nature that carries its own menace. "(Going for my shots) has brought me so far, and if my unforced errors are high, the winners compensate".

Quicker, she insists, on her feet, learning to synchronise brain and body to confront the big points, Mirza feels she has grown as person and player in this tumultuous year, a sudden onset of adulthood that performing under the scrutiny of the public eye invariably brings.

But maturity, as technician and competitor, is still some distance away, it is a journey that must run its course and not everyone is a phenomenon at 16. First a serve must be remodelled, a fitness enhanced, a repertoire expanded, a shot selection sharpened.

Mirza, of course, wants to embrace success immediately, and this frantic, raw need to excel is her fuel, yet mention that it will take at least two years for her to discover her game more fully and she admits it is "a fair statement".

World No.15 Nathalie Dechy played nine Grand Slams before reaching the third round; No. 13 Alicia Molik took 21 slams to enter the fourth round; No. 10 Nadia Petrova played 12 slams before getting past the fourth round. Mirza has only played three so far.

Mirza may go backwards before she goes forwards again, will lose early some days and bruise egos on others. Talk of champion is premature and her expedition to her eventual level of accomplishment, whatever it may be, is to be enjoyed; in India, often, inflated labels are pinned on players and dejection follows when they cannot fit it.

Expectations

Expectation stalks Mirza, but it must be worn. Occasionally she will meet people who say "I hope you win the U.S. Open", a ridiculous idea but said with the best intentions, and she laughs it off, wisdom shining in her answer for she says it is but the awkwardness of generous strangers unsure of what to say to an athlete. Later, she adds: "It is human nature to want more, and if I'm No. 48 I want to be in the top 20".

Mirza sitting in her hotel room in Toronto, grounded for a week by a recurring stomach muscle injury as the U.S. Open looms, stands now at No. 50. It has been hard; it promises only to get harder. Opponents who once dismissed her as the streaky new girl will pry her game open, batter at her vulnerabilities, lower-ranked players will want to carry home her scalp, points will need to be defended as the calendar turns over. Every day calls for sweat. And desire.

Mirza's eyelids will not bat. It's not her style. Confrontation is. Somewhere in the interview she is asked about beating higher-ranked opponents and she shrugs off the compliment. It's no big deal, she says, as if reputations and ranking are irrelevant.

It makes you grin, because she's just being herself. A girl going places, armed with good attitude.

Breaking New Ground: Sania Mirza

In the second feature of the new WTATour.com series, "Breaking New Ground," John Berkok looks at Sania Mirza's rise to prominence and its effect on sports-loving Indians

"I see something very bright coming up, but we need patience. Now that people know that the game is there and how much hard work it takes, I'm sure we'll have a lot more Indian women on the circuit very soon."

Under a clear evening sky in Stanford, California, Sania Mirza walked out onto centre court to a sell-out crowd at the Taube Family Tennis Stadium to contest her second round match against former world No.1 Venus Williams. Contrary to what could be assumed, however, the capacity crowd of 4,353 was just as much a function of Mirza's presence as it was the reigning Wimbledon champion's. The Indian teenager has been breaking new ground this season for a country of over one billion people, and it doesn't look like anything is going to stop her from going even higher in the years to come.

Born in the heavily-populated city of Mumbai, which is situated on the western coast of India along the Arabian Sea, and raised in the smaller, more laid-back city of Hyderabad on the eastern coast along the Bay of Bengal, Mirza's focus during her early years was not always on tennis. She began playing the sport at age six when her mother Naseema, who runs her own printing press, would take her to the local tennis courts during summer holidays on the way to swimming, always one of her other main interests. The young girl quickly took a liking to the sport, but had to overcome obstacles from the beginning.

"My mother took me to a coach, who initially refused to coach me because I was too small," said Mirza. "After a month, he called my parents to say he'd never seen a player that good at such a young age."

During the summer, Mirza would play several times a week, and began contesting her first local tournaments at age seven. With few expectations and little pressure coming from her parents, who nevertheless supported her unconditionally, she developed a keen motivation to improve, working hard from the start to become the best player she could be.

"After I started playing, it just kept improving," said Mirza, whose other childhood interests included dancing, studying, Indian history and English, which she speaks fluently. "I never put pressure on myself to make it big in tennis; I just took it step by step."

When Mirza was 12, her hard work, determination and positive attitude paid off, as she won the under-14 and under-16 Indian national championships. It was then that the hard-hitting teenager began taking the idea of making tennis into a career seriously.

"That was when I really knew I wanted to be a professional player," said Mirza, who received her first sponsorship with adidas soon after her junior national titles. "Obviously, the main challenge I faced was financial. My parents had to struggle at first, but when I was 13 years old I got a sponsor, which I'm actually still with today."

In addition to overcoming her financial hurdles, Mirza would also have to realize she was about to travel the road untravelled. India had never had a successful female tennis player on the Sony Ericsson WTA Tour, and the sport of tennis was and still is greatly overshadowed in India by cricket, a national obsession.

"Coming from India, you have no tradition of female tennis players, and people thought I was stupid," said Mirza, who grew up admiring 22-time Grand Slam champion Steffi Graf. "However, in India, it's not like every girl has to become a doctor or a lawyer - they can be anything they want, and I knew that this was right.

"As a person, you earn the respect you get by working hard and giving your best, and people appreciate it - being a sportsperson is the same, it makes no difference if you're a man or a woman."

Mirza played her first pro tournaments on the ITF Women's Circuit in India in 2001 aged 14, winning six of nine matches. Between 2002 and 2004, Mirza played almost exclusively on the ITF Circuit, accumulating a 90-13 overall record and claiming 12 singles titles. She also made her Tour singles debut as a wildcard at Hyderabad in 2003, the same year she collected the Wimbledon junior doubles title with Russian Alisa Kleybanova. In 2004, she played her second and third career Tour events at Hyderabad and Casablanca, losing in the first round again at both. But Mirza managed to make history that year on the Tour in doubles, becoming the first Indian woman in history to win a Tour event by claiming the doubles title at Hyderabad with Liezel Huber.

It was in early 2005 at the Australian Open, Hyderabad and Dubai where Mirza made her more publicized breakthroughs. As a wildcard into Melbourne in January, Mirza became the first Indian woman to reach the third round at a Grand Slam, squandering a 4-2 lead in the second set before losing to eventual champion Serena Williams 61 64. Mirza then travelled back home to Hyderabad in February, where she made history and thrilled her home crowd once again, becoming the youngest Indian, male or female, to claim a Tour singles title when she won her debut title in only her fifth Tour-level main draw at the Hyderabad Open.

Mirza's barnstorming run caused a sensation in her hometown event, where hundreds of would-be spectators were turned away as the stadium was full to overflowing with tennis fans, new and old.

The 18-year-old added another milestone to her impressive start to 2005 in early March, notching her first win over a Top 10 player at Dubai, coming back from a 4-0 first-set deficit to stun reigning US Open champion and then-world-No.7 Svetlana Kuznetsova 64 62 en route to a quarterfinal finish at the $1,000,000 Tier II event.

"This year has obviously been huge for me," said Mirza, who broke into the Top 100 after her run at Hyderabad, and is currently ranked No.59 in the world. "I've come far, but I'm definitely not satisfied. I feel like I'm improving on a daily basis - I'm working hard for what I want, and I just want to be the best I can."

Mirza's meteoric rise up the rankings has been accompanied by exploding popularity in her native India and with Indian populations all over the world. She is often cheered on by large, flag-waving Indian crowds at tournaments around the globe and has received an incredible amount of media attention, including public appearance requests - she's helping promote the inaugural Tier III Sony Ericsson WTA Tour event in Kolkata, the Sunfeast Open, next month - and numerous offers of endorsements. Back home in India, she travels with security whenever she goes out.

"I enjoy every bit of it," said Mirza on the attention. "People are really excited in India. They've never had a woman do something like this before."

In addition to all of the positive media attention, Mirza also has to deal with the expectations of a nation when she steps onto the tennis court. This type of pressure has been known to curtail players' progress in the past, but Mirza seems comfortable with the expectations and understands it is all part of the legend she is potentially creating for herself.

"I'm okay with the pressure, because I play better under pressure," she said. "A person who achieves success learns to deal with stuff like that. They learn that that's just the way it's going to be when you do something big."

The recent focus on Mirza has also helped cultivate a greater following of tennis in India, which has always been overshadowed by the country's obsession with cricket.

"There is quite a bit of tennis coverage, but whenever cricket is shown, the country comes to a standstill," said Mirza, who believes if she were born a boy, her father Imran, a former cricketer who is now a builder, would have probably encouraged her into the sport. "Right now, tennis is definitely moving up, but first there is always cricket. Cricket is a tradition; that's not going to change. There is no competition between the two sports.

"I just want people to know they can play other sports too, and make a career out of them. They now know what tennis is; they know now that everything isn't just cricket, so more people are learning how to play tennis, and the sport is growing."

Mirza knows the future growth of tennis in India doesn't just depend on her and her achievements, but on an upcoming crop of junior players that, with her in the public eye, will have somebody to look up to and follow. However, at just 18 years of age, Mirza is at the stage where she still has to focus on her own career.

"Right now, I'm still young, and I'm at the stage where I still have to develop my own game," she said. "But whenever kids come up to me to ask for advice, I love to help. I know I would love to become involved with juniors in the future."

Mirza's hard work has been paying off this year, and despite losing that second round match to Williams in Stanford, she knows she is well on her way to achieving her dreams.

"In the long-term, I have a long way to go. I'm satisfied with what I have, but not satisfied enough. I believe in working hard, and I'll see where the future takes me."

Brett to Sania: Keep at it

BANGALORE: As energy sapping as the climb has been so far for Sania Mirza — from number 206 at the start of the season to number 48 this week — the steeper tests are yet to come. Aussie super coach Bob Brett, who helped the teenaged Indian make the crucial jump from promising junior to performing pro, said: "Until now she was like a child in a toy shop. Everything was new and fun. It’s an experience." "In tennis, the big jump is from 30 to 20; the bigger one is from 20 to 10 and the biggest of them all is from 10 to the pinnacle. Sania has already shown that she can play with the big girls. Next she will have to go from winning two and three good matches a week and playing quarterfinals to playing five good matches and winning tournaments. It is a lot of hard work from here," Brett told TOI in a telephone interview from his San Remo base. Brett hastened to add that his comments shouldn’t take away from what the 18-year-old has achieved on the tour in the last few months. "What I am trying to say is that given her weapons this is just the beginning. The forehand is among the biggest in the women’s game if not the biggest. It is the acceleration of her arm that makes the shot what it is. She can do just about anything with that shot." "It is important for her now to stay healthy and keep at it week in and week out. Only regular competition will help her gain the consistency so crucial in making those next jumps," Brett added. The Aussie, who had earlier coached Goran Ivanisevic and Boris Becker, was widely expected to continue as Sania’s coach. But Mahesh Bhupathi’s Globosport, failed to arrive at a suitable solution and Bhupathi opted for John Farrington earlier in the summer while keeping the Brett option open for Sania if and when she needed it.

Sania Mirza slips to 50th world rank

New Delhi, Aug 15 (IANS) Sania Mirza slipped two places to 50th spot in the latest rankings of the Woman's Tennis Association (WTA) released Monday, following her first-round exit at the J.P. Morgan Chase Open last week.

The 18-year-old had achieved her personal best of breaking into the top 50 last week after her impressive showing on the American hard court circuit over the past month.

She has pulled out of this week's $1.3 million Rogers Cup in Toronto with a strained stomach muscle. The Hyderabad girl is expected to play in the $75,000 Forest Hills Classic next week in New York, ahead of the US Open beginning Aug 29

You can’t afford to play: Sania (interview with Sania)

NEW DELHI: She shoots from the hip. Sania Mirza doesn’t believe in hiding behind vague, ambiguous answers. Taking a break from non-stop tennis, India’s latest obsession talks candidly about her game, her future and her self

Excerpts from the interview:

Reaching top 50 was a personal goal that you set for yourself after Hyderabad and Dubai. How difficult was the journey? After the ankle injury, had you imagined that just two months down the line you would be counted among the world’s top 50?

International tennis is very competitive and one can never take one’s success for granted. There will always be ups and downs in tennis as in life but I was confident that if I had a good run in any given fortnight, I had a chance of breaking into the top 50. Fortunately for me, it came a bit earlier than I had anticipated.

What are the lessons you’ve learnt about yourself in your first full year on the tour?

I’ve learnt that success is never going to be easy on the professional tour and one has to work very hard to achieve it. I also figured that though I have several weaknesses in my game, I also possess some strengths that can enable me to compete against some of the best in the world. But I still need some time to hone these strengths and to translate them into consistent victories.

Your popularity now stretches across the continents. How important is it for you to play with support in the stands? Some of your best performances have come when you had very supportive crowds in Hyderabad, Dubai, Wimbledon, even Australia.

I’d much rather have people cheering for me rather than for my opponent! However, noisy crowds like in Hyderabad and Dubai disturb me as much as my opponents. Besides there is also the pressure of expectations from the fans.

When you suffered the ankle injury, you didn’t have the option of skipping tournaments. As a result you pushed your ankle and yourself. Now you have a stomach strain that’s been with you for some time now. Do you feel you can be more relaxed about taking time out?

Everyone on the circuit is struggling with some sort of an injury and one can’t afford to play too safe or one would be left way behind in the rankings. However, if there is a risk of aggravating an injury it only makes sense to take a break. Also, in the present scenario, as I have been playing some qualifying matches, followed by main draws and also doubles, as in Cincinnati, I thought I had played far too many matches and needed a break before the US Open.

Do you agree that your success is related to your going for the kill from the first shot? Will being in the top 50 be any different for you in that regard?

I have played aggressive tennis ever since I was a kid and I think that it is my strength. Of course, my game will now be analysed for sure, but I will also be gaining in experience and hopefully will be in a position to adjust to the changing demands of top level tennis.

You’ve said before that tennis is all about having fun. Does the constant media scrutiny take some of the fun away?

I have realised that the media is very much a part of tennis. But yes, the constant media scrutiny (as in India) is a bit unique and can be trying at times.

How beneficial has it been having a coach, John Farrington, travel with you? What improvements have you noticed in your game?

Of course, having a coach is beneficial to me but at least give John and me time till the US Open before we start feeling the difference.

Your game has blown away the top-10 players like Svetlana Kuznetsova, Nadia Petrova but you have struggled, comparatively, against the retrievers like Morigami.

The difference in levels of the top 75 players is only marginal and the player who plays the 3 or 4 big points well on that particular day generally emerges the winner. So I don’t think it’s right to expect a relative greenhorn like me to constantly beat top 50 players only because I’ve had the good fortune of upsetting a couple of top 10 players.

Are you goal-oriented or is it just a matter of hitting the ball as hard as you can and enjoy yourself doing it, fame and fortune included?

I love hitting the ball as hard as I can and thoroughly enjoy myself while doing it but it would all have no meaning if I did not set goals for myself. However, I believe in setting myself realistic goals.

Sania breaks into top-50, officially

In a dream come true for Sania Mirza, the teen tennis star became the first Indian woman to enter the top-50 list.

Sania, who was 59 last week, jumped 11 places to be at 48 following her fine run in the USD 1.3 million Acura Classic in San Diego, according to the WTA rankings released on Monday.

Sania also becomes the first Indian since Ramesh Krishnan to break into the top-50 in world rankings. Vijay Amritraj was ranked 16th in July 1980, while Ramesh Krishnan was ranked 23rd in 1985.

His father Ramanathan Krishnan was ranked world number three before the Open era. The highest ranking occupied by an Indian woman before Sania exploded on the scene was 134 by Nirupama Vaidyanathan in 1997.

Leander Paes' highest ever singles ranking was 73.

Going into the tournament, Sania needed 90 points to break into the top-50. She accumulated 103.5 points (including bonus points) from her two main draw as well as two qualifying round wins.

Sania pulls out of Rogers Cup WTA event in Toronto

Sania pulls out

Hyderabad: Sania Mirza’s build up for the US Open Grand Slam suffered a setback with the tennis star pulling out of this week’s $1.3 million Rogers Cup WTA event in Toronto due to an injury.

Sania, who has shot into top-50 in WTA rankings owing to her fine performances in Cincinnati Open, Bank of West Classic in Standford and Acura Classic, is suffering from a stomach pull.

“She has a minor pull in the stomach and we decided that she needs to take some rest before the US Open,” Sania’s father Imran Mirza said on Tuesday.

The Rogers Cup is from August 13 to 21 while the US Open is set to begin on August 29.

“There’s nothing to worry. It’s a minor ailment and she will be well. What she needs is rest to increase her fitness level,” Mirza said. (PTI)

Sania bows out in first round @JPMorgan Chase Open

NEW DELHI, Aug. 10. — After a string of fine performances, Sania Mirza’s juggernaut interrupted with her first round exit in the $585,000 WTA JP Morgan Chase Open tennis tournament in Carson in Los Angeles, USA.
Sania, who is suffering from a stomach muscle pull, gave a tough fight by stretching the match to three sets before losing 3-6, 6-, 4-6 against Iveta Benesova of Czech Repulblic, according to information received here today.
Benesova, ranked 51, has wins against the likes of Elena Jankovic (no. 18), Nicole Vaidisova (no. 27), Shuai Peng (no. 32) and Nuria Llagostera-Vives (no. 44), this year.
Sania has already opted out of Roger’s Cup to be held in Canada next week to be in proper condition before the US Open beginning on 29 August. — PTI

Sania Mirza @JPMorgan Chase Open

New Delhi Aug 10: Sania Mirza was not able to work her magic at the JPMorgan Chase Open WTA tournament in Carson, California on August 9. Her game was torn apart by Iveta Benesova of the Czech Republic. Take a dekko at pix:


Sania reacts during her first round match as she loses a point.


Sania Mirza hits a backhand winner during the match.


Czech Republic's Iveta Benesova serves to Sania during the first round match. Benesova won 6-3 1-6 6-4.


Sania tries a forcing shot that went wide.

Tennis legend finds Nastase's shadow in Mirza

Sania Mirza may have bowed out of the Acura Classis WTA tournament losing the pre-quarterfinal match to nemesis Akiko Morigami but the tennis ace has won a new fan in legendary Pancho Segura who likened the Hyderabadi girl to Ilie Nastase. Segura, an Ecuador-born American player who roamed the courts in the 1940s and ''50s, felt Sania's hard-hitting game resembles Romanian tennis legend Nastase. "She has a natural way of hitting the ball and she hits it hard. She reminds me of Ilie Nastase," said the 84-year-old legend. Expressing delight at a number of quality players dominating the women circuit, Segura said,"I have never seen so many girls with such good ground strokes, deep and consistent. My prediction is we''re going to have a different crop of players coming on. There once was a gap between the Williams sisters and the others, but now that gap isn''t there." Sugura was merely a 5''6" player who had bowed legs because of ricket. But his brilliant footwork and a devastating two-handed forehand described by his adversary Jack Kramer as the "greatest single shot ever produced in tennis made life difficult for players including Kramer and Pancho Gonzales. After retiring from the tour, Segura became a teaching professional for many years it was under his watchful eyes that Jimmy Connors honed his skills during his formative years. Segura was inducted into the International Tennis Hall of Fame 1985.

Sania's big test round the corner

BANGALORE: Sania Mirza is a work in progress. Every step forward means a hurdle cleared, a test passed. At No. 48 in the world rankings, after only seven months on the WTA Tour, she has come through many of those. But, the biggest test of her career lies ahead: post January 2006 when she's no longer the unknown factor.


Already, some of that anonymity has worn off thanks to the shock waves the 18-year-old sent through the tennis world with her performances in Melbourne, Hyderabad and Dubai. From the ‘unknown Indian' she has become "the difficult opponent"in the international media, who still refer to her with about the same vagueness as they pick out Indian spices that drill holes in their stomachs. Recognised but not read; discovered but not dissected.

If she continues playing the way she has, that will no longer be the case. The forehand will be broken down and the backhand taken apart, even if only on the drawing board. They will make a note that the serve is an area of weakness. The legs are not far behind either. They'll pull her wide or draw her to the net and mix slower balls with sharper angles. They'll push and probe and come prepared for the power. And at 30-40 the lines may indeed be tricky territory.

The fearlessness, she now wears so boldly on her sleeve, may not be so easy to flaunt because there will be a lot more to lose.

Come January, when Sania looks over her shoulder there will be a mountain of points to defend and when she looks ahead she will see that her opponents are better prepared. "I'm conscious of it,"she said of the points she will have to defend. "My parents normally keep a close watch on the points and other such aspects of the game while I just concentrate on giving it a go on the tennis courts."

As a rule for fast-climbing players, the first year is a breeze compared to the second. Russian diva Maria Sharapova, who is struggling to reproduce her form of last year, will agree with that. But that is not to belittle what Sania has achieved these last six months. In plainspeak, it is phenomenal.

Not since Vijay Amritraj broke through the men's game in the 70s have we had a teenager taking two steps at a time instead of one. Every time the bar was raised she reached up and over. After the Australian Open, the doubters called for week-in-week-out results. She replied with her first WTA Tour title. The next question came quickly enough: Could she match-up to the big girls? Sania responded with a win over reigning US Open champion SvetlanaKuznetsova. Top-50, the critics cried. She celebrated the breakthrough with her second top-10 scalp of the year — Russian Nadia Petrova. Every time her ability was challenged Sania stepped up.

The forehand may have evoked fear in opponents but it is her fearlessness that is her biggest weapon. "Right from the time I was 7 or 8, I was taught to never worry about results,"Sania explained. "Victories and defeats are all part of the game. I enjoy myself competing against anybody in the world and when you enjoy something, you rarely think about fear."

The immediate test for Sania is consistency. Can she stretch quality into quantity? Her coach John Farrington says, "One week at a time."

Ramesh Krishnan, India's Davis Cup heavy-weight and top-30 player in the men's game two decades ago, sticks with the positives. "While on the minus side you lose your anonymity, on the plus you have gained in experience,"he said.

"Points are nothing but a reflection of your playing ability. Once you get on court, your game has to be able to stand the test."

Sania's power-packed play has. Time and again.

Sania Mirza may skip next week's Rogers Cup

A stomach muscle pull may force Sania Mirza, fresh from her ascent into the top 50 rankings, to skip next week's $1.3 million Rogers Cup in Toronto, her father revealed.

"Sania is struggling with a muscle pull in the stomach and playing more will only make it worse. We may pull her out of next week's Rogers Cup to give her time to recover for the US Open," Imran Mirza said from Hyderabad.

"Lets see how things turn out and we will decide according to how she feels this week," he added.

Commenting on Sania's climb up the Women's Tennis Association (WTA) rankings ladder to 48, Mirza said he was happy with the achievement.

"It is a great achievement for her and the realisation of a personal dream. She started out setting this goal (breaking into the top 50) for herself and she's shown that she's got what it takes," he added.

"Sania has not had the benefit of having the best coaches or the best hitting partners despite which she has come this far as she has leant quickly on the tour," he maintained.

Sania had a great run in last week's $1.3 million Acura Classic in San Diego in the US but lost in the third round to Akiko Morigami of Japan.

She had taken out ninth ranked Nadia Petrova of Russia in the second round of the tournament to collect the required points to make the top 50.

"A rank is just on paper and it seldom matters on court. The tough part is hanging on to that ranking and improving on it as it gets tougher the further you go," Mirza said.

"There is no relaxing at this level."

The Hyderabadi girl had started the North American hard court circuit last month ranked 70 before moving up to 64 after a good outing at the Cincinnati Open.

She improved on this with another good show at the Bank of West Classic at Stanford that pushed her up to 59 last week before the latest rise into the top 50.

Sania is scheduled to play the year's final grand slam, the US Open, which begins August 29.

Sania crashes out of Acura Classic

New Delhi, August 5: Sania Mirza's dream run at the USD 1.3 million Acura Classic at San Diego came to an abrupt halt in the third round with a loss to nemesis Japan's Akiko Morigami.Playing before a packed crowd at the Grandstand, Morigami carved out a hard-fought 6-2, 4-6, 6-4 victory over the 18-year-old Indian yesterday.

The world number 61 had also beaten Sania in the Cincinnati quarterfinals last month and now leads the Hyderabadi girl 2-1 in career head-to-head meetings. Sania's lone triumph over Morigami came in the first round at Wimbledon this year.

Sania, currently ranked 59th on the WTA rankings, had posted a stunning 6-2,6-1 victory over world number nine Nadia Petrova of Russia in the second round on Wednesday. To her credit, the unseeded Indian also notched up two qualifying round wins and a first round victory over Tathiana Garbin of Italy.

Despite the loss, Sania is expected to break into the world's top 50 in the latest WTA rankings, making her the first Indian woman to do so.

Sania grabs victory over Petrova at the Acura Classic, in top 50

India's Sania Mirza keeps her eyes on the ball during her tennis match against Russia's Nadia Petrova at the Acura Classic in Carlsbad, California, August 3, 2005. Mirza defeated Petrova 6-2 6-1 to advance.

By Matthew Cronin CARLSBAD, California - India's Sania Mirza provided the upset of the second round at the San Diego Classic on Wednesday with a 6-2 6-1 victory over fourth seed Nadia Petrova.

Number 14 seed Daniela Hantuchova was the other seed to fall on Wednesday, losing 7-5 4-6 6-2 to doubles partner Ai Sugiyama of Japan, while fifth seed Patty Schnyder survived a 6-4 6-7 6-1 match against Czech Kveta Peschke. Playing with a right elbow strain, Petrova was unable to impose herself against Mirza, who dictated play during the match.

Mirza, who had to qualify for the main draw, went all out with her forehand returns and was never threatened by the 2005 French Open semi-finalist. Mirza said nothing was easy playing a top-10 ranked player. "I knew if I relaxed for a second she would have jumped on me," said Mirza, who will face Japan's Akikio Morigami in the next round. "I had a game plan in my mind and I'm glad I was able to do what I needed to.

"I believed I could do it, but I always knew that everyone is beatable." Ranked a career high 59, Mirza is almost sure to crack the top 50 in the next two weeks, achieving the goal she had set herself at the beginning of the year. She has already won her first career title, at Hyderabad beating four seeds on the way, beat the then world number seven Svetlana Kuznetsova in Dubai and made two other quarter-finals.

"A lot has happened since January," the 18-year-old added. "I started this season losing in the second round of qualifying of Tasmania. "I didn't expect so much to happen so soon, but I'm not complaining." French Open finalist Mary Pierce, playing her first match on hard courts since March, thrashed Germany's Anna-Lena Groenefeld, who was never able to establish her big serve or whipping return.

"I didn't expect to play that well because in your first match on a surface, you don't know what's going to happen," Pierce said of the 6-1 6-1 victory. "I was really happy today, especially with the first set. I took her seriously. From first point of match, I was ready to play." In other matches, ninth-ranked Elena Likhovtseva recovered from a set down to beat Israel's Shahar Peer 0-6 6-2 6-4, while 10th seed Nathalie Dechy also came from a set down to beat Argentine Gisela Dulko 4-6 7-5 7-6.

Sania in second round of Acura Classic

Sania Mirza took another giant stride towards her goal of making it to the top-50 in world rankings with a 6-2, 6-2 thumping of Italy's Tathiana Garbin in the first round of the 1.3-million-dollar Acura Classic women's tennis event at San Diego, USA.

Up against a 78th-ranked player, Sania had an unexpectedly easy outing at the La Costa Resort and Spa venue on Tuesday.

The win, combined with her two qualifying round victories, would give 59th ranked Sania 43.5 Tour points (including bonus points) and push her ranking atleast by another four places up on the WTA charts.

The 18-year-old Indian will be up against fourth seed Nadia Petrova of Russia in the second round.

Petrova is ranked eighth in the world but yet to win a WTA Tour title. A win against the top-10 player would give Sania that many bonus points and speed up her entry into the top-50 bracket.

Sania passes Acura Classic qualifying test

Sania Mirza fought off a tough challenge from Kateryna Bondarenko of Ukraine to win the final qualifying round 6-4, 7-6 (2) and advance to the main draw of the USD 1.3 million Acura Classic women's tennis event in San Diego, USA. Playing before a large crowd at the Grandstand, Sania, seeded number one in qualifying, overcame two service breaks in the first set and went on to win the set in 29 minutes. At 3-3 in the second set, Sania and Bondarenko, ranked 196th, exchanged service breaks and the set eventually went to a tiebreak. Sania, the first Indian to win a WTA Tour title, then took a 3-2 lead in the tiebreaker and won the last four points to close the match yesterday. Earlier, Sania won the first round defeating Galina Voskoboeva of Russia, 6-1, 6-1. The world 64th ranked Indian dominated Voskoboeva in the 55-minute match as she broke the 20-year-old Russian in the very first game of the match. Sania dropped serve only once and converted six of eight break points. The 18-year old Hyderabadi is drawn to play another qualifier, Tathiana Garbin of Italy, in the main draw first round. She is in the same half of the draw that features US Open champion Svetlana Kuznetzova of Russia, seeded second. Another Indian in the qualifiers, Shikha Uberoi, lost in the second round 6-1 6-0 to Aiko Nakamura of Japan. Shikha had earlier defeated local lass Lindsey Nelson 7-6 4-6 6-2 in the first round.

Sania in main draw

New Delhi: Sania Mirza fought off a tough challenge from Kateryna Bondarenko of Ukraine to win the final qualifying round 6-4, 7-6 (7-2) and advance to the main draw of the $1.3 million Acura Classic in San Diego.

Playing before a large crowd at the grandstand, Sania, seeded No.1 in qualifying, overcame two service breaks in the first set and went on to win the set in 29 minutes.

At 3-3 in the second set, Sania and Bondarenko, ranked 196th, exchanged service breaks and the set eventually went to a tiebreak.

Sania, the first Indian to win a WTA Tour title, then took a 3-2 lead in the tiebreaker and won the last four points to close the match on Sunday.

Earlier, Sania won the first round defeating Galina Voskoboeva of Russia, 6-1, 6-1.

Sania dropped serve only once and converted six of eight break points.

The 18-year old is drawn to play another qualifier, Tathiana Garbin of Italy, in the main draw first round.

She is in the same half that features US Open champion Svetlana Kuznetzova of Russia, seeded second.

Another Indian in the qualifiers, Shikha Uberoi, lost in the second round 1-6, 0-6 to Aiko Nakamura of Japan.

Sania moves up to No. 59

Sania moves up to No. 59

- TENNIS RANKINGS Clijsters back in top 10; Coria at No. 9

Sania Mirza is closing in on her dream of breaking into the top-50 by the year-end

Nieuwegein: India’s Sania Mirza inched closer to her dream of breaking into the top 50 by the year-end, jumping five places to No. 59, according to WTA Tour’s Entry Point ranking system list released on Monday.

She was helped on her way after beating world No. 58 Eleni Daniilidou of Greece 7-6, 2-6, 6-3 in the first round of Stanford meet last week. She went on to lose to Venus Williams in the second round.

Venus herself lost 5-7, 2-6 to Belgian Kim Clijsters in the final on Sunday, but moved up two spots to No. 8. Clijsters climbed four rungs to 10th spot.

Argentina’s Guillermo Coria was the big mover on the of the ATP Tour Entry Points System. The Argentine, who beat Carlos Moya of Spain 6-2, 4-6, 6-2 in the final of the Croatia Open on Sunday, moved up six places to No. 9.

Meanwhile, after winning her third hardcourt title of the year, Clijsters believes she is primed to win her first Grand Slam title at the US Open which begins at the end of the month. “The US Open is on my mind,” Clijsters said. “I’d like to give myself another chance to go for the title again.”

The 22-year-old has reached four Grand Slam finals but has come up short each time.

“I still have few things to work on but it’s the last Grand Slam of the year and the one I always look forward to,” said Clijsters. The former world number one has not been beaten in the United States since she lost the 2003 Flushing Meadows final to fellow Belgian Justine Henin-Hardenne.

“Justine did play well but I should have won the first set and it would have been a totally different match,” she said referring to the 5-7, 1-6 defeat. “But you can say 'if' with everything in life. It was frustrating at the time. It can take weeks or longer to get over it if you keep recreating it in your mind. But you learn.”

Sania to pair with Myskina in Kolkata

After pairing up with Mary Pierce, Sania Mirza is likely to share the same side of the net with another French Open winner, Anastasia Myskina, at the inaugural USD 170,000 Sunfeast Open women's tennis event to be held in Kolkata next month.

Myskina, the 2004 French Open titlist, will be the latest addition to the list of Grand Slam champions to have played on Indian soil in a professional event after she confirmed her participation in the Tier 3 event scheduled for September 19-25.

Boris Becker, Patrick Rafter and Carlos Moya, past men's Grand Slam champions, have played at the ATP Tour event in Chennai.

Among women, Mary Pierce and the legendary Martina Navratilova wielded the racquet at the WTA Tour event in Hyderabad in the recent past.

Myskina was the first Russian woman to win a Grand Slam title and has been ranked as high as number two not too long ago. Her career earnings total over USD 4.4 million.

She also led Russia to Fed Cup victory in 2004.

"This will be my first visit to India and I am really excited to be part of this event," Myskina said in a statement by Globosport, organisers of the event.

Grand Slam champion Mahesh Bhupathi, Managing Director of Globosport, said "the WTA Tour is presently dominated by amazing Russians and Myskina was the first female Russian player who started this trend with her victory in French Open 2004.

Sania 59th in WTA rankings

New Delhi, Aug 2. (PTI) Sania Mirza's consistent performance is paying well for the increasingly popular player on the international circuit as she jumped another five places to be placed 59th in the latest WTA rankings on Monday.

Sania, who climbed up to 64th from 70th last week, has substantially improved her rankings in a fortnight reaching closer to her goal of breaking among the top 50 players by the next year.

The Indian had a lucky last week when she reached the second round of the Stanford WTA tournament where she lost to Wimbledon champion Venus Williams in front of a sellout crowd.

The 18-year-old, who entered the main draw as a lucky loser following Chanda Rubin's withdrawal due to an ankle injury, had clinched a hard fought 7-6 (4), 2-6, 6-3 victory against Greek Eleni Daniilidou in the first round.

Sania, on her WTA tournaments in tune up to US Open, the fourth and final Grand Slam of the year, is working with the help of her travelling coach John Farrington of Bahamas.