Sania Mirza would take on five-time Grand Slam champion, Martina Hingis, of Switzerland in the opening round of the Dubai Duty Free Women's Open which starts here tomorrow.
The 19-year-old Indian, ranked 38th in the world, could run into former French Open champion, Anastasia Myskina, in the next round if she manages to get past the Swiss star.
Hingis is making a comeback to competitive tennis after almost three years out due to a foot injury. The 25-year-old has already risen to 48th in the WTA rankings.
She won the inaugural edition of this tournament in 2001. Hingis reached the quarterfinals of the Australian Open last month and followed it up by beating Russia's Maria Sharapova in the semi-finals of the Pan Pacific Open in Tokyo.
Sania made headlines in Dubai last year when she beat then US Open champion Svetlana Kuznetsova of Russia as a wild card.
The top four seeds at this year's event - Australian Open champion Amelie Mauresmo, defending champion Lindsay Davenport, Sharapova and Justine Henin-Hardenne - received first round byes in the 32-player tournament.
The Tier-II outdoor hardcourt event has a prize money of US$ one million.
Monday, February 20, 2006
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