Sania can call the shots at US Open

Pune, September 2: When the going gets tough, the tough get going. Sometime on Friday Sania Mirza plays the toughest match of her career so far and, to get over that, she will need to dig down deep into her reserves and bring out her best qualities, her famous grit and strength of character.The last time Sania was in the third round of a Grand Slam — at Melbourne in January — she was an outsider, an unknown quantity, for whom tennis was fun and every round an adventure. As the underdog, she faced little pressure.

Now, ranked in the top 50, with her game acquiring prominence the pressure is on her to deliver. Winning two rounds at the US Open is good but break-even for a top-50 player; it’s from the third round onwards that you start declaring a profit.

So, faced with Marion Bartoli, a former US Open junior winner, can she pull it off? Yes, provided she plays her true game (which she hasn’t so far). Because Bartoli, ranked just one spot below her, will be a far tougher match than Mashona Washington and Maria Elena Camerin.

Not only are they matched in rankings, they are similar in weight, height and hard-court success — 45 per cent wins. The difference is marginal, so Sania will simply have to raise her game several notches.

The main problem area she needs to work on is the amount of unforced errors. In two rounds she’s totalled 101 errors — and it’s got worse in the second round, from 49 per cent against Mashona to 66.5 percent against Camerin.

Adding to Sania’s disadvantage is the fact that so far she has spent 94 minutes more on court than her opponent. The positives are clear to see: Her forehand is back to its sizzling best, her nascent backhand has also resumed service and her tennis brain is ticking. Some of her passing shots yesterday had the sort of precision Glenn McGrath has trademarked.

In short, once she gets over the serve and into the rally, she can move in for the kill. And while Camerin was a baseline player, forcing Sania to attack and risk committing errors, Bartoli plays an open game.

Ironically, Bartoli is the kind of player Sania probably aspires to be — at least in the short run. She began the season ranked 41 and rose to 30 before reaching her current 43; in between, she’s beaten both Mashona Washington and Camerin in straight sets.

If Sania can pull it off — and on talent she should — there’s the match-up made in TV heaven waiting for her. That alone is worth the extra effort tomorrow.

THE CHANGING GAME

Sania’s progress, stats-wise, in Rounds 1 and 2.

GETTING BETTER

• Winners (incl. service): Up 48.2 per cent

• Winning on 1st serve: Up 15 per cent

• Fastest Service: 2 mph quicker

GETTING WEAKER

• 1st Serves: Down 5 per cent

• Unforced Errors: Up 17.5 per cent

• Avg. 1st Serve Speed: 2 mph less

• Avg. 2nd Serve Speed: 3 mph less

STATUS QUO

• Winning on 2nd serve

• Receiving points won

• Break point conversions

• Total points won