Sania Mirza in Time 2005 Asia heroes list

NEW DELHI — In another ace for the teenage tennis icon, Sania Mirza became the first Indian sportsperson to feature on the cover of Time magazine and is being included in its 2005 list of Asia's heroes.

In the list of heroes, Sania shares the space with Chinese actress Zhang Jingchu, South Korean footballer Park Ji Sung and Japan's Ken Watanbe.

The tennis star, who has been described by the magazine as a role model for women in the country and the fastest rising star in the sport this year, features on the cover of the special issue of the magazine which would hit the stands tomorrow.

First Indian to break into the top 50 WTA ranking, Sania is writing a page of Indian tennis history. She also became the first Indian woman to win a WTA tourney.