Sania: A champ in the making

Sania might have lost in the prequarterfinals of the US Open but not before proving that she has in her the quality to fight it out with the top players in the international arena. The 2-6, 1-6 scoreline bore no indication of the tough fight put up by the 18-year-old against the former Wimbledon champion Maria Sharapova at the Arthur Ashe stadium yesterday.

Sania has done the nation proud by becoming the first Indian woman to reach the fourth round of a Grand Slam tournament. This would be her career highlight, getting into the fourth round of the US Open on her debut is no mean achievement. Sania has made steady progress this year. She began the year ranked 169 and has climbed to number 42 and in the process became the first Indian woman to win a WTA Tour event when she triumphed before her home crowd in Hyderabad.

For sure Sania can match the best when it comes to the groundstrokes and what she has achieved so far would give her the much needed confidence for her future endeavours. The Hyderabadi who will play next in Bali and Kolkata would have to improve on her fitness and serve.

What is more pleasing about Sania is that she enjoys her game and hits the ball as hard as she can and most importantly never fears to take risks. Even during big occasions she never gets intimidated and that's a mark of a champion. She's young and has time on her hands and if she could make some minor adjustments to her game no doubt a great future is ahead of her.