Sania satisfied despite semi-final loss in Japan

TOKYO - India’s teenage star Sania Mirza said on Saturday she was satisfied with her effort at the Japan Open, despite a straight-sets loss to France’s Tatiana Golovin in the semi-finals.

Trailing by a set and 0-5 in the second, Mirza fought off two match points to pull back to 4-5, but ran out of steam on her serve in the 10th game, falling to the French third seed, 6-2, 6-4.

“She (Golovin) was retrieving the balls so well. I started well, but then it got windy, and I think she adjusted to the conditions better than me. She was hitting winners and played a solid match,” said the 18-year-old Mirza.

“I don’t think I played bad. When I had two match points against me, I played like I had nothing to lose. I just wanted to get a game, and then I saw an opening.

“At 5-4, it could have gone either way, but then I made a couple of loose shots,” she added.

Mirza capitalized on a triple break point for 2-5 when rain halted play for 25 minutes, and she took the following two games when the match resumed.

But she went down 15-40 on her serve in the following game, finally surrendering the match after 68 minutes by hitting her forehand long.

“It’s been a great week -- semi-finals, singles and doubles. I hope to come back next year and do better,” said Mirza, who lost her doubles semi-final match with Shahar Peer of Israel on Friday.

“It’s always good to have a crowd behind you. It certainly pumps you up. I’m sorry if I let them down, but I’ll be back and hope to do better,” Mirza said.