Sania to miss Siliguri tie

SILIGURI— The stage is all set for the 30 November Videocon Challenge Tennis Tournament at the Siliguri Indoor Stadium. But for the fans of Sania Mirza, there is some bad news.
The star will not take part in the singles match, which she was scheduled to play against Sikha Uberoi. Now, Shikha will lock horns with Ankita Bhambri, who was included in the draw today, while Rohan Bopanna will take on Mahesh Bhupathi in the second match. In the third match of the meet, the pair of Shikha and Bhupathi will play against Sania and Bopanna.
Former Davis Cup captain and technical director of the tournament Mr Jaideep Mukerjea, who announced these at a Press conference here today, said the decision was taken to reduce the risk of a further injury to Sania’s back.
“This is just the beginning of the season and we do not want her to aggravate her back injury,” he said. Admitting that the decision would disappoint her fans in the region, Mr Mukerjea said: “They have to be explained the exact reason of her absence from the tie.” Mr Mukerjea said that Ankita was a very promising player and she would not allow the spectators to feel the absence of Sania from the match.