Sania Mirza celebrates her victory over Martina Hingis (pic)

Sania Mirza celebrates her victory over Martina Hingis in the second round of the Korea Open in Seoul.

Sania vs Hingis (pic)

Top seed Martina Hingis crashed out of the Korea Open in spectacular fashion, losing to India's Sania Mirza (in picture) in the second round.

Sania out of Korea Open

Sania Mirza's dream run at the Korea Open came to an end as she went down guns blazing to Virginia Ruano Pascual of Spain in the women's singles quarterfinals of the USD 145,000 tennis event here today.

The 19-year-old Indian, who had shocked top seed Martina Hingis in the second round, lost to doubles specialist Pascual 7-6 4-6 7-6 at the Olympic Park tennis centre.

The final set, which the Indian lost 7-3 in tie-break, was marred a series of chair over-rules. The Indian averted two match points but eventually succumbed to the guiles of 33-year old Pascual.

Sania said she gave her best but her 72nd ranked rival proved to be the better player in the near three-hour contest.

"Losing the deciding set in tie-break is tough. I don't think anyone can ask for more than that," she said.

Pascual, who has three WTA Tour singles to her credit besides 33 in doubles, played a steady game and capitalised on the unforced errors by Hyderabadi girl.

The former world no.1 doubles player would play either Ai Sugiyama of Japan or Paola Suarez of Argentina in the semifinal tomorrow.

Third-time lucky Sania knocks out Hingis

Sania Mirza exacted sweet revenge by shocking world number 8 Martina Hingis of Switzerland in the second round of the USD 145,000 Korea Open women's tennis tournament here today.

The 4-6 6-0 6-4 victory for the 19-year-old Indian came after her straight-set thrashing by Hingis before her home crowd in the Sunfeast Open semifinal at Kolkata last week.

"It is my third time to play her this year and I guess that it is third time lucky," said Sania who had also lost to Hingis in Dubai earlier this year.

Hingis, on a comeback after a three-year sabbatical, had routed Sania 6-1 6-0 last Saturday, but the Hyderabadi lass was on a roll at the Seoul Olympic Park.

"Every match is a different match and every week is a different week. This proves that," said Sania, the first Indian to break into top-50 in world rankings last year, after the match.

Hingis, who won the USD 170,000 event in Kolkata, saved two match points but eventually bowed to the superior form of the Indian.

"She was too good today, she played too well," Hingis said of her opponent ranked more than 50 places below her.

"She played much better than last Saturday. I gave her more chances today ... Little things can make matches."

Sania, whose ranking dipped to 70 after a second round loss at the US Open before it went up to 59 after the semifinal appearance at the Sunfeast Open, next faces Virginia Ruano Pascual of Spain, whom she has never played before.

Sania started the match tentatively, struggling with her serve in the first set.

She fought back from two triple breakpoint situations to hold serve but four double faults proved to be her undoing.

Sania then hit back to blank her opponent before her serving began to falter again in the decider.

She was broken twice but held her nerve to jump 5-4 up and served out the match with confidence.

"A true champion is one who comes back from being down. When I went out to serve at 5-4, I hadn't held my serve for the last two games and I told myself to do whatever was necessary," Sania, the first Indian to win a WTA title in 2004 in her hometown of Hyderabad, said.

"This is the fittest I've been in the last two years and it's the best I've felt this year," she said.

In the first round match yesterday, Sania had rallied from a first-set deficit to beat Korean wild card Ya Ra Lee 6-3 6-0 6-0.

Sania up against Hingis, yet again

Top-seeded Martina Hingis coasted into the second round of the Korea Open on Wednesday with 6-3, 6-2 win over Danish teenager Caroline Wozniacki. Hingis, a former world No. 1, won six straight games and took little over an hour to beat 16-year-old Wozniacki, who won this year's Wimbledon junior title.

Meanwhile, Indian star Sania Mirza overcame a poor first set to crush South Korea's Lee Ye-ra 3-6, 6-0, 6-0. She will now take on Hingis in the second round on Thursday. The two had recently met in the semis of the Kolkata WTA event where Hingis was a runaway winner. "It was stressful to get here from India," said Hingis, who won the Sunfeast Open title on Sunday. "I was able to step up my game even though I was tired."

In the second round, fifth-seeded Vera Zvonareva of Russia downed Finland's Emma Laine 6-4, 6-0 and Japan's Akiko Morigami beat Aiko Nakamura 7-5, 6-2.

Sania Mirza of India gestures ...(pic)

Sania Mirza of India gestures before hitting signed tennis balls into the audience after winning the doubles title with Lezel Huber of the Republic of South Africa, unseen, at the WTA Sunfeast Open tennis tournament in Calcutta, India Sunday, Sept. 24, 2004. Mirza and Huber won the match 6-4, 6-0 against Yulia Beygelzimer and Yuliana Fedak both of Ukraine, unseen at the final.

Sania ranked 59 in singles

Sania Mirza has climbed a creditable 11 places in the singles rankings after her semi-final appearance in the Sunfeast Open and she is now placed at 59th in the latest WTA list released on Monday.

With 405 points to her credit, the 19-year-old Hyderabadi is six places ahead of Kolkata event runner-up Olga Poutchkova of Russia, who leapfrogged 20 places, while winner Martina Hingis of Switzerland improves one place to finish at eighth, according to information received in New Delhi.

Li Na of China remains the best-ranked Asian at number 20 in the rankings headed by Amelie Mauresmo of France.

Among other Indian women, Shikha Uberoi (232nd), Ankita Bhambri (369th) and Isha Lakhani (391st) slipped from their previous rankings while Rushmi Chakravarthi (454th) maintained her position.

Meanwhile, Leander Paes and Mahesh Bhupathi remained static at ninth and 25th respectively in the ATP doubles individual rankings.

Sania Mirza of India, facing camera hugs her doubles partner (pic)

Sania Mirza of India, facing camera hugs her doubles partner Liezel Huber of South Africa after winning the doubles final of the WTA Sunfeast Open tennis tournament in Calcutta, India, Sunday, Sept. 24, 2006. Mirza and Huber won the match 6-4, 6-0 against Yulia Beygelzimer and Yuliana Fedak both of Ukrane, in the final.

Sania Mirza (L) and Liezel Huber of South Africa hold their trophies (pic)

India's Sania Mirza (L) and Liezel Huber of South Africa hold their trophies during the prize ceremony after winning their doubles match at the Kolkata Open tennis tournament in the eastern Indian city of Kolkata September 24, 2006

Sania credits her doubles performance to Huber

Upbeat after her doubles victory at the Sunfeast Open, Indian tennis ace Sania Mirza today hoped that she would claim the singles title in the next edition of the Sunfeast Open."Any title is special. But this is my first title in Kolkata. And hopefully, I'll come back next year and win the singles," Sania said after partnering South African Liezel Huber to the doubles title with a straight set decimation of Ukraine's Yulia Beygelzimer and Yuliana Fedak at the USD 175,00 WTA Tour event.

Bubbling with new-found energy after the match, Sania paid tributes to the crowd at the Netaji indoor stadium for their constant support to her.

Asked which were her best moments at the championship, Sania said, "the noise that I heard every time I came on court was indeed great. Even yesterday when I was losing (to Martina Hingis in the singles semifinal) they were cheering me to the last point.

"It gives us a good feeling that we can bring smiles to our fans," she said. Praising Huber, who is her mentor on the WTA Tour, the Hyderabad-based girl said "she is a great doubles player. I have learnt a lot from her. My doubles game has improved because of her." Sania said her partnership with Virginia Ruano Pascual in the maiden edition of the tournament last year had also been an educative experience.

Asked about the inconsistency in her game, Sania replied, "it happens. I can play ten minutes of good tennis and three hours of bad tennis." However, the numero uno Indian women's player asserted that she did not play poorly against Hingis last night.

"Today I was seeing my match against Hingis. And I think the score didn't indicate how I played." Huber, who has won three doubles titles with Sania, said, "it is hard to believe that she is only 19. To have three doubles titles at such a young age is creditable."

Sania-Huber clinch Sunfeast doubles title

Giving the home crowd something to cheer about, Sania Mirza partnered South African Liezel Huber to a comprehensive doubles victory at the $175,000 Sunfeast Open in Kolkata.

Top seeds Sania and Huber scripted a convincing 6-4, 6-0 win in just under an hour against Ukrainian duo of Yuliana Fedak and Yulia Beygelzimer in the final to clinch their third career title on the WTA Tour.

The pair, who had won at Hyderabad in 2004 and at Bangalore this year, pocketed a winners' cheque of $8,250 and 120 WTA points.

The result was symbolic of Sania's fortunes on the court this season which has seen her struggle in the singles play but flourish in doubles.

It was her fifth appearance in a doubles final this year, having also ended runner up at Amelia Island (with Huber), at Istanbul (Alicia Molik) and Cincinnati (Domochowska).

"Any title is special. This is my first title in Kolkata. I hope I will comeback next year and win the singles," a jubilant Sania said after the match.

"Today, we played good tennis. I also played better. And what's important is that we won," said the 19-year-old from Hyderabad.

A great learning experience: Sania

KOLKATA: Sania Mirza packed her kit quickly and hurried across the Centre Court to reach the press conference room even before most of the scribes had arrived. Apparently, her haste was on account of her eagerness to relate her experience of the match against the world number nine and the tournament top seed, Martina Hingis. "Sometimes it takes a lifetime to reach her level of excellence. I learnt a lot of things from the match,'' was how Mirza described her 6-1, 6-0 loss against Hingis.

The most successful woman tennis player from India was so overawed by her opponent's game that she had little explanation for her loss. "It's tough when you are up against Martina Hingis. The match against (Aravane) Rezai was different," she said.

Sania said she felt that Hingis's anticipation and quickness on court was the highlight of the match. "Martina is all about her feet and about getting you to play the extra ball. I was always on the defensive the whole match,'' she said. "She sees the ball before your racquet hits it. She is like Federer in that respect."

Fitness levels

The Indian star said Hingis maintains a higher level of fitness. "I am not fit as her and I don't know how many girls in the circuit (WTA Tour) would be as fit as her."

"I thought I had hit a winner but she kept reaching the ball. Now I need to put the loss behind and move on,'' she added.

Regarding her overall performance in the tournament, Sania said, "I am happy with my performance. I had three good wins in the tournament and am satisfied the way I played and served.''

Martina Hingis sounded happy with the way she reached the fourth final of the season. But she also had some praise for her opponent. When asked if she had expected to win so easily, she said, "I don't think it was that easy. I won some of the important points and games. And that put my confidence level higher than her," she said.

semi-final match in the Kolkata Open tennis tournament (pic)

Switzerland's Martina Hingis (R) greets India's Sania Mirza at the end of their semi-final match in the Kolkata Open tennis tournament in the eastern city of Kolkata September 23, 2006

Sania Mirza serves a ball to Switzerland's Martina Hingis (pic)

Sania Mirza serves a ball to Switzerland's Martina Hingis during their Kolkata Open tennis tournament semi-final match in the eastern Indian city of Kolkata September 23, 2006.

Sania will now be on her way up: Hingis

Sania Mirza may have lost comprehensively to Martina hingis at the Sunfeast Open today, but the Swiss Miss feels that the Indian would now be back on her way up after a good performance at the USD 175,000 WTA Tour event here.

"Sania has had a tough year. But overall she has done very well in the tournament. I think she will now be back on her way up," Hingis said after her 6-1 6-0 defeat of the 19-year old in the semifinal.

Sania, on the other hand, said she was happy with her performance in the Tier 3 event.

"I had a good week. I played three good matches and one bad match (against Hingis)," she said.

Sania, who finished 2005 at 34 on the WTA computer, saw her ranking plummet to 70 prior to this tournament.

Hingis, who wrapped up the match in only 58 minutes, felt that the result was not a just reflection of how the match went.

"The match was much closer than what the scoreline suggests. She is a great player and has a great future. I hope to play against her again in the coming days," the Swiss Miss said.

Sania-Huber enter Sunfeast doubles final

Sania Mirza of India and Liezel Huber of South Africa entered the doubles final of the Sunfeast Open with 6-3, 6-2 victory over Algelique Widjaja and Hana Sromova here Saturday.

Sania and Huber broke their rivals at regular intervals to seal the match in style.

Sania was spectacular with reflex shots and Huber matched these with fine volleys from the baseline.

The duo will meet Yuliana Fedak and Yulia Beygelzimer for the title Sunday.

Sania Mirza acknowledges the crowd after winning the match

Sania Mirza acknowledges the crowd after winning the match against Germany's Sandra Kloesel during the Kolkata Open tennis tournament in the eastern city of Kolkata September 21, 2006.

Sania Mirza prepares to return a shot to Sandra Kloesel

Sania Mirza prepares to return a shot to Sandra Kloesel of Germany during their match at the Kolkata Open tennis tournament in the eastern city of Kolkata September 21, 2006

Sania cruises into doubles semi with S African partner

Putting up a convincing display Sania Mirza and her South African partner Liezel Huber sailed into the doubles semi-final at the USD 1,75,000 Sunfeast open here today.

Mirza and Huber spanked Australia's Casey Dellacqua and US-citizen of Indian origin Sunitha Rao 6-1 6-4 in an one-sided semi-final at the Netaji Indore Stadium.

‘Sania deserves all the attention’

Bikash Mohapatra

Friday, September 22, 2006 23:50 IST

KOLKATA: Sania Mirza is definitely getting more than her share of coverage in the media and there’re no two ways about it. Whether she deserves this much attention or not is a different question altogether.

And the other Indian players, who’re always at the receiving end and have to face media apathy, have spared no occasion in showing their dislike for this particular phenomenon.

To be fair to them, they do have a point but lack the results to validate it. However, this category never included Shikha Uberoi, the second highest ranked Indian on the WTA Tour. She had even categorically stated earlier that she had no problems whatsoever with the kind of publicity given to her compatriot.

So, it’s a tad difficult to digest the reports doing the rounds at the Sunfeast Open that Shikha had joined the bandwagon and claimed that the media’s undue importance given to Sania is affecting the performance of other Indian players.
However, Shikha seems completely clueless when asked about the “reported statements” that she has made during the tournament.

“Where did you hear this?” she asks, and then goes on to offer her clarification. “I never made such statements. I still stand by whatever I had said earlier and have no problems with her (Sania) getting the publicity that she does.” The Fed Cup player even believes that her more illustrious companion deserves all the attention. “She definitely has the results,” Shikha reasons.

But what about her own performance? Especially her great run of results last year when she made the singles quarterfinal and the doubles final. “I’m obviously disappointed but I didn’t prepare hard enough,” she admits.

Shikha lost in the opening round of the singles but then raised hopes in the doubles — with makeshift partner Hungarian Melinda Czink — by beating second seeds Anastasia Rodionova and Nicole Pratt. However, the duo was forced to withdraw on Friday after a viral infection affected the Hungarian.

“She was fit during the last match but got sick last night. I hope she gets well soon,” she says. But didn’t Shikha miss her sister/doubles partner Neha this year? “Yes, I did,” she admits.

Sania to clash with Hingis in Sunfeast semis

India's Sania Mirza and Martina Hingis of Switzerland won their respective quarterfinal matches at the Sunfeast Open on Friday to set up a semi-final showdown.

Russian Olga Poutchkova will clash with Iroda Tulyaganova of Uzbekistan in the other semi-final.

Mirza defeated the not-fully-fit Frenchwoman Aravane Rezai 6-4, 7-5.

The match began on an even note with both players exchanging breaks for the first three games. However, Mirza held her serve on the fourth game to go 3-2 up. Rezai drew level again in the eighth game when she capitalised on a long return from the Indian to break make it 4-4.

But a weak serve and a weaker forehand from Rezai meant Mirza earning a crucial break. The Indian held serve to take the set 6-4.

The second set was a flier for the French lass. She went 4-1 up with one break in her kitty. And then lady luck chose to desert her and while stretching to return a forehand she hurt her shoulder.

Two games later and the break evened out, she called for medical attention.

Even after being attended by the physiotherapist Rezai looked to be in considerable pain as she winced.

She returned, but the shoulder visibly hurt with every serve and forehand.

Earlier, a partisan crowd with constant shouts 'Sania-Sania' in between serves was a cause for concern for the world number 66.

Mirza walloped the final game with three big forehands to take the set and the match.

"There was very little difference between the two of us today. Just a few points here and there. Rezai has a great backhand too, which matches my forehand. We are both aggressive players," Mirza said after the match.

"Right now, I am just happy to be in the semifinals.

"I was trying to avoid playing backhand to backhand, as that point I would have never won."

Rezai said she had been serving a lot during her practice, which resulted in a sore muscle.

"It was difficult to serve today. I played badly too. Mirza was certainly a better player. But one is not a machine and can't go on playing good everyday."

World number 9 Hingis took 78 minutes to sail into the semis beating Tamarine Tanasugarn of Thailand 7-5, 6-2.

Tanasugarn went 3-0 up in the first set with a break in the opening game but Hingis struck back, breaking her in the fourth to draw level. Thereafter, both the players held serve till the 10th game when Hingis broke her.

With another break in the 12th game, Hingis pocketed the first set 7-5.

It was easy going for Hingis in the second set. She held her serve with ease.

On her coming match with Mirza, Hingis said: "It's going to be a big match and I am looking forward to it. She has a big forehand and I will have to something special to keep her thinking."

Asked about her strategy for the match, the Swiss said: "I will not reveal that now. But I need to keep her on the run. She is a very aggressive player and I will have to adapt myself."

In the other matches Poutchkova brushed aside Italian Alberta Brianti 7-5, 6-3 while Tulyaganova got the better of Alla Kudryavtseva 4-6, 6-2, 6-2.

I play well under pressure: Sania

Upbeat after getting past the higher-ranked Aravane Rezai to move into the Sunfeast Open Semi final, fifth seed Sania Mirza today said that her best comes out whensever she is under pressure.

"I always play a little better when I am down," Sania said at the psot-match media conference, when asked about the turnaround in her form.

Trailing 1-4 in the second set against Rezai, seeded one rung above her in the $ 1,75,000 event, Sania went on to win 6-4 7-5 to reach the semifinals, for the first time this season.

In the second round tie against Sandra Kloesel also, Sania had lifted her game in the last five games after falling behind the German.

"I am just happy to be in the semi-finals," Sania said, adding that there was no real turning point in the match.

Sania conceded that there was very little difference between the two contestants.

"It was just a matter of a few points here and there. Rezai has a great backhand, one of the best in women's tennis, which matches my forehand. We are both aggressive," she said.

Sania said she generally tried to keep the ball away from Rezai's backhand.

"I was trying to avoid playing backhand to backhand as that point I would have never won," she added.

Mirza regales crowd to enter last eight

Indian star Sania Mirza kept in line for a semifinal clash with top seed Martina Hingis as she got past resolute German Sandra Kloesel in the WTA Kolkata Open here.

In a second-round match peppered with unforced errors and service breaks, Mirza prevailed 7-5, 6-3 to set up a quarterfinal with French teenager Aravane Rezai.

In the first set, in which she earned a warning for racket abuse, Mirza managed a crucial break in the 11th game and went on to dominate the match.

"The last five games were better than the ones I played earlier," said 19-year-old Mirza. "It doesn't make a difference whether you play ugly or pretty tennis. What matters is the win."

The second set saw Mirza concede a 3-1 lead but the Hyderabad girl bounced back in superb fashion to notch up service breaks in the fifth, seventh and ninth games to wrap up the match.

India's Sania Mirza after winning the second-round match at the Kolkata Open.(AFP/Deshakalyan Chowdhury)

"I did not want to play a three-setter today. I wanted to get over with it as soon as possible. I made some technical mistakes in the first set but played better in the second," said Mirza.

Aware that fourth seed Rezai awaits her in the next round, fifth-seeded Mirza said: "Rezai is a very talented player. It will be a tough match."

Earlier, seventh seed Nicole Pratt joined the list of seeds to fall by the wayside when she was conquered by Russian Olga Poutchkova 6-2, 2-6, 6-2.

Italian Alberta Brianti, who ousted third seed Yuliana Fedak in the first round, advanced after battling an injured ankle to overcome Indonesian Angelique Widjaja 7-6 (9/7), 3-6, 6-3.

Russian Alla Kudryavtseva and Uzbek Iroda Tulyaganova made the round of eight with straight-set wins.

Sania prevails over Kloesel in an error-filled match

Kolkata: On a wet Thursday evening in Kolkata, it rained errors at the Netaji Indoor Stadium, with both Sania Mirza and Sandra Kloesel displaying almost painfully similar games in their second round encounter. Both their serves often touched levels of absurdity, as they repeatedly treated their service games like slippery objects (seven breaks in the first set, and five in the second, said it all).

Both their groundstrokes were schizophrenic, to say the least, with a series of atrocious errors interspersed with an incredible winner or two. With the margin of their errors leaving very little to the linesmen's purview, what separated the two was Sania's solidity in the second set, where she made fewer errors than her extremely erratic opponent, and registered a 7-5, 6-3 at the Sunfeast Open WTA tennis tournament.

Nightmarish start

The nightmarish first set had everything. Frenzy exchange of breaks, huge double faults followed by an ace and forehand cross-court and down-the-line winners succeeding an all-court spray of errors. The game that lengthened the first set was the seventh game, with Sania up 4-2, and Kloesel serving.

Getting away with the poorest of serves, the German was aided by her opponent's eagerness and `lack of patience' as most people would call it, as Sania messed up some easy chances, and a chance to go up 5-2. The games that followed were long, but Sania always looked the better player, showing better variety in finishing off the points.

To Sania's credit despite receiving a code of conduct warning for racket abuse in the first set, her frustration levels did not seep into her game, as the flurry of breaks continued. Up 6-5, and serving for the set, some pathetic returning by her opponent clinched the first set for the 19-year-old, much to the delight of the vociferous crowd.

Better display

The second set was better for Sania. Despite being 1-3 down, she feasted on the next five games with some clean hitting, against an opponent who was wilting.

"I wasn't too keen on a third set, and I'm glad I finished it in two sets. I was a little more solid in the second set. Without being defensive, I tried cutting down on the errors, which was what helped me," said Sania.

On her quarterfinal clash with Aravane Rezai, she said, "she is very talented, and has had some great results. Both of us are big hitters, and we should see some hard-hitting tennis."

Veteran Nicole Pratt was defeated in three sets, by Russian Olga Poutchkova, 2-6, 6-2, 2-6, in their second-round match. A 1-1 deadlock showed signs of a tight third set, but Pratt, running on reserve fuel in the decider, could not retrieve her opponent's shots, and was simply left watching.

Sania Mirza prepares to return a shot to Sandra Kloesel

Sania Mirza prepares to return a shot to Sandra Kloesel of Germany during their match at the Kolkata Open tennis tournament in the eastern city of Kolkata September 21, 2006.

Sania Mirza returns a shot (pic3)

Sania Mirza returns a shot to Sandra Kloesel of Germany during their match at the Kolkata Open tennis tournament in the eastern city of Kolkata September 21, 2006

Sania Mirza returns a shot to Sandra Kloesel (pic1)

Sania Mirza returns a shot to Sandra Kloesel of Germany during their match at the Kolkata Open tennis tournament in the eastern city of Kolkata September 21, 2006

Sania Mirza returns a shot to Sandra Kloesel (pic)

Sania Mirza returns a shot to Sandra Kloesel of Germany during their match at the Kolkata Open tennis tournament in the eastern city of Kolkata September 21, 2006.

sunfeast pic

Sania Mirza returns a backhand to her compatriot Rushmi Chakravarthi during their first round match at the Sunfeast Open tennis tournament in Kolkata, India. Mirza won the match 6-0, 6-4.

pic

INDIAN TENNIS PLAYER SANIA MIRZA WITH HER MOTHER WATCHING A MATCH IN "SUNFEAST OPEN TENNIS TOURNAMENT 2006" AT NETAJI INDOOR STADIUM IN KOLKATA ON TUESDAY

Media hype around Sania affecting other players: Shikha

Kolkata, Sep 20: Too much media hype over Indian ace Sania Mirza is making things difficult for other women players of the country, says Shikha Uberoi.

"I think the media should treat every player equally. They should highlight the achievements and talents of every deserving player," says Shikha, India's number two women's tennis star.

The 23-year-old has no reservation in acknowledging Sania's greatness and her contribution to Indian tennis.

"She has done well. So, it is natural that she will get more attention. But it's definitely very difficult when the young talents see that you (the media) are only focussing on Sania, and their talents are not being recognished," Shikha told PTI.

The world number 193, however, felt that it was for the media to put things in perspective. "I, or the other players, can't do anything about it," said the US-based player.

Born in Mumbai, Shikha started playing tennis when she was only six. But she began seriously pursuing the game four years later.

Shikha, who reached a career high singles ranking of 122 last year, admitted that her performance had not been upto the mark so far in 2006.

"The results are not upto my expectation," she said.

Now in the city to play the USD 175,000 WTA Sunfeast Open, Shikha's singles campaign ended in the first round itself when she went down to Czech girl Hana Sromova in straight sets.

Sania wins, 'gracious' Ganguly cheers

SANIA FEASTS ON VICTORY AT SUNFEAST: She claimed a straight set win over Rushmi Chakravarthi.

Kolkata: Sania Mirza started off her Sunfeast Open campaign in style with a thumping straight set win over compatriot Rushmi Chakravarthi.

As former India cricket captain Saurav Ganguly watched on with the others, it took Sania less than an hour to win the first round encounter 6-0, 6-4.

Sania, looking to silence her critics after a lacklustre season, came out with some brilliant tennis.

She gained the upper hand early, breaking former national champion Rushmi Chakravarthi in her first service game and never looked back and was cheered wildly by the crowd took the first set 6-0.

The second set saw Rushmi hold her serve for the first time. The match balanced at two-all when Sania broke her opponent to take a 3-2 lead.

Rushmi had no answers to Mirza's powerpacked game and it was just a matter of time before the 19-year-old wrapped up the match in 54 minutes.

Sania who went down to Melinda Czink in the second round last year will be hoping for a better result this time around.

'Gracious' Sourav floors Sania

Sania Mirza on Tuesday acknowledged the 'graciousness' of former India cricket captain Sourav Ganguly in coming over to watch her match at the Sunfeast Open WTA tennis tournament in Kolkata.

"Me and Sourav are pretty good friends. I spoke to him this morning. And he said he will come for the match. I told him that I know how popular he is and that the crowd will go berserk seeing him," Sania told mediapersons after her opening round win in the tournament.

"It's great that Sourav came here and watched the match," said Sania.

Ganguly, who sat in the VIP enclosure in the company of several cricketers from Bengal, was seen enthusiastically applauding every shot of the 19-year-old Hyderabadi.

Sania 'insults' tricolour!

An advertising campaign featuring India's rising tennis star Sania Mirza sparked off protests in her hometown Hyderabad in Andhra Pradesh on Tuesday.

The Lotto sportswear campaign features Sania resting her foot on a guitar painted in the colours of the Indian flag.

Members of the 'Rahul Priyanka Youth Brigade', an affiliate to the state’s ruling Congress Party, shouted anti-Sania slogans and burnt her effigies, demanding an immediate public apology from her.

"We hereby ask her to apologise to the whole country. While endorsing a foreign brand, she is demeaning the Indian flag rather than holding it high. That she chose to feature in that advertisement is a shame," said Manoj Alexander, president of the Rahul Priyanka Youth Brigade.

Among the protestors were several Muslim women clad in traditional black veils.

Sania had earlier earned the ire of Muslim groups in Hyderabad who had objected to her skimpy tennis outfits, which they said violated Islamic norms.

Sania is currently participating in the ongoing 175,000 dollars Sunfeast Open in Kolkata, where she plays Indian qualifier Rushmi Chakravarthi in her first round match on Tuesday.

Sania surmounted religious barriers to surge from 206th in the women's world rankings in 2004 to a career high 31 in October last year.

She also became the first Indian woman to reach the fourth round of a Grand Slam tournament at the U.S. Open before succumbing to Russia's Maria Sharapova.

The high point of her career at this time is her doubles ranking as World No. 28.

In spite of an indifferent season this year that saw her singles ranking plunge to 70, Sania is still looked upon as an icon among rising female tennis-lovers in the country.

Bhupathi surprised over Sania's pairing with Paes for Asiad

Sania Mirza's pairing with Leander Paes for the Doha Asian Games has upset Mahesh Bhupathi who said he was not consulted when the decision was made.

"Of course, I am surprised," Bhupathi said.

"I'm not sure whose decision it was. All I know is that everybody is pretending it's the other person's decision but I know that I wasn't consulted," Bhupathi said reacting to Sania's comment that it was the decision of the All India Tennis Association.

Bhupathi's anger can be justified because Sania is considered a protege of Bhupathi who has a better mixed doubles record than Paes.

Bhupathi, however, stated that who brought home the gold medal at the end of the day was what counted and that he would not want the issue to cloud his partnership with Paes at the Games.

"That's one place where I'm playing with Leander. We're looking forward to bringing home the gold medal," he told 'Times Now'.

AITA Selection Committee Chairman Shyam Minotra said although the selections are made by it, the pairing is done by the captain and individual players themselves.

Fitness is not my forte: Sania

Kolkata, Sep 19: Admitting that fitness was not her forte, Indian ace Sania Mirza today said she will continue to make up for that by playing aggressive shots.

"Fitness is not my forte. I cannot be as fit as say (Martina) Hingis or (Elena) Dementieva. Yes, I am going to be more patient. But I have to go for shots, I'll get some, I'll miss some," Sania told newspersons minutes after scripting a convincing straight-set win over Rushmi Chakravarthi in the opening round of the Sunfeast Open.

The 19-year-old Sania, who is battling lacklustre form and plummeting rankings, said she was looking forward to a possible battle with top seed Hingis in the semi-final of the tournament.

"I am looking forward to that as well," Sania said, when scribes drew her attention to Hingis' comments yesterday that she was eagerly waiting to play Sania.

"But just as Hingis has said, we both have to get to the last four first," she said.

Describing Hingis as a "great champion", Sania said "she is amazing to watch. It's good to have a player like Hingis here". Sania did not agree with her critics that it has been a bad year for her so far. "I am going to have some good years, some bad years. I don't think this year is as bad as some people have said." Sania, who shot into prominence over the last two years with some scintillating performances, said that she was now a more mature player.

To a query, Sania expressed her confidence that a revolution was brewing in tennis in the country.

"It may take five years, 20 years of even 25 years. See the number of girls playing tennis now. See the crowd that came here today to watch the matches." On her pairing with Leander Paes in Doha Asian Games mixed doubles, she said "it was decided by the selection committee. I don't mind whether it is Mahesh, Leander or Rohan. I think it is more important to bring medals for the country."

Success has made Sania more responsible

Sania, who has kept herself away from the media, mingled with the children unhesitatingly She tackled all the odd questions with a smile KOLKATA : The big lady of Indian tennis Sania Mirza, feels success has made her more responsible. She said this while talking to school children whom she visited on Monday as part of the promotional campaign organised by the sponsor of Sunfeast Open, ITC Foods Ltd. Sania, who has kept herself away from the media attention here in a bid to focus on her game, mingled with the children unhesitatingly. Note of advice The first note of advice that she had to offer was — mind what you say. "I have to measure every word I utter. An `if or but' from my lips can create a national crisis,'' the 19-year-old said. Relishing every moment She said her success in international tennis over the last two yeas has made her more responsible. "In whatever I do, I have to be careful,'' she said in front of around 50 students who relished every moment of their time they spent with her. She tackled all the odd questions with a smile. When asked to relate the funniest moment on court, she recalled an incident during a similar WTA event at Hyderabad two years ago. "I don't know whether it will be proper to narrate it before school children,'' she said pausing briefly but continued, "by the side of the court, there was a guy with a placard `Sania, marry me'. And beside him were three other guys, each holding aloft placards `and me, `and me' and me,'' she said to merriment of her listeners. She was even more candid when another student asked about her idol. "Well, it is Steffi Graf. But whenever I met her, I could never open my mouth. I hope I'll able to break my silence some day,'' she said. Sania also urged the students to follow their dreams. "And you must try to enjoy what you are doing''

Sania’s day out with schoolkids

- ‘Becoming an icon comes with its share of responsibility’

Sania Mirza at a school function on Monday

Calcutta: It was a time of sheer euphoria for the school kids. Add to that a substantial dose of chaos. The reason? Sania Mirza. The teen tennis sensation visited St Thomas’ Girls School, Kidderpore, and the Heritage School on Monday morning as a mark of recognition to the schools for having sent a large number of entries for the Sunfeast Open Trophy design contest.

It was meant to be an interactive session with the kids. But the jostle between her security personnel and the TV cameramen at St Thomas’ did not leave much room for it.

In a black and white outfit, looking fresh and bubbly, Sania invited the girls at St Thomas’ to come and watch her play at the Sunfeast Open on Tuesday.

“Whatever you do, do it to the best of your abilities. Enjoy whatever you choose to do in life, have fun. And remember, do nothing to please others. Self-satisfaction is what is most important,” was her word of advice to the awe-struck girls, and she was off to keep her date with the children of Heritage School.

The scene there was better and the kids got the opportunity to shoot a few questions at her.

What would she have asked her idol if the scene was different and her idol was the one on stage answering questions, asked one.

Sania’s idol is, of course, Steffi Graf. And she would have been absolutely tongue-tied had she been in that situation, came the prompt reply.

Everything comes with a price. What is the price that she is paying for her fame? Pat came the reply: “My privacy, of course.”

How does it feel to appear on the cover of the Time magazine? “Great, of course,” said Sania, but went on to add that becoming an icon sure comes with a responsibility — of what to wear, what to say and how to conduct oneself.

Is she getting lost in the sea of endorsements that she is making these days? On the contrary, she believes it is helping bring tennis into greater focus.

“For, in India, except for cricketers, the general public has little knowledge about other sports and you have to explain which discipline of sport you specialise in.”

Sania sure has changed that scenario.

Hingis looks forward to playing with Sania Mirza

Kolkata, Sept 19: Ninth ranked Swiss tennis player Martina Hingis has said that she is looking forward to a possible clash with rising Indian tennis star Sania Mirza at the ongoing Sunfeast Open in Kolkata.

"It would definitely be great if I could play with her, but we both have to first get there. We will get to play perhaps later in the week," said Hingis at a post- match presser.

The five-times Grand Slam singles champion, Hingis said that she was happy with the way her comeback was shaping up.

"Right now if I continue to play like today, I would definitely be satisfied. It is just that sometimes in an athlete's life you have ups and downs. Definitely, after the US Open I was quite disappointed. Making it to the finals and winning Rome and all these events, I played well. But the Grand Slams - Wimbledon and US Open were not the best," she said.

Hingis, who reached the quarterfinals of the Australian and French Opens this year, said she would love to add another Grand Slam title to her impressive haul.

Former World Number One Hingis romped to a 6-1 6-2 victory over Hungary's Melinda Czink in her first round fixture on Monday.

Hingis, who had retired in 2002 with foot and ankle injuries, has re-established herself successfully among the elite with victory in the Italian Open in May. She is the top seed here and faces Israel's Tzipora Obziler next.

In spite of an indifferent season so far this year that saw her ranking plunge to 70, Mirza is still quite an icon among tennis-lovers in India.

Sania Mirza's Lotto campaign sparks off protests in Hyderabad

Hyderabad/Kolkata, Sep 19: An advertising campaign featuring India's rising tennis star Sania Mirza sparked off protests in her hometown Hyderabad in Andhra Pradesh on Tuesday.

The Lotto sportswear campaign features Sania resting her foot on a guitar painted in the colours of the Indian flag.

Members of the 'Rahul Priyanka Youth Brigade', an affiliate to the state’s ruling Congress Party, shouted anti-Sania slogans and burnt her effigies, demanding an immediate public apology from her.

"We hereby ask her to apologise to the whole country. While endorsing a foreign brand, she is demeaning the Indian flag rather than holding it high. That she chose to feature in that advertisement is a shame," said Manoj Alexander, president of the Rahul Priyanka Youth Brigade.

Among the protestors were several Muslim women clad in traditional black veils.

Sania had earlier earned the ire of Muslim groups in Hyderabad who had objected to her skimpy tennis outfits, which they said violated Islamic norms.

Sania is currently participating in the ongoing 175,000 dollars Sunfeast Open in Kolkata, where she plays Indian qualifier Rushmi Chakravarthi in her first round match on Tuesday.

Sania surmounted religious barriers to surge from 206th in the women's world rankings in 2004 to a career high 31 in October last year.

She also became the first Indian woman to reach the fourth round of a Grand Slam tournament at the U.S. Open before succumbing to Russia's Maria Sharapova.

The high point of her career at this time is her doubles ranking as World No. 28.

In spite of an indifferent season this year that saw her singles ranking plunge to 70, Sania is still looked upon as an icon among rising female tennis-lovers in the country.

pic

INDIAN TENNIS SENSATION SANIA MIRZA DURING A PRACTICE SESSION AT NETAJI INDOOR STADIUM IN KOLKATA DURING SUNFEAST OPEN TENNIS TOURNAMENT 2006 , ON MONDAY. PTI PHOTO ; TENNIS SENSATION SANIA MIRZA DURING PRACTICE SESSION AT NETAJI INDOOR STADIUM IN KOLKATA ON MONDAY EARLY MORNING

‘Sania needs permanent coach’

Kolkata, Sept 18: Improper shot selection and constant chop and change of coaches have been a bane of Sania Mirza’s game, feels her Fed Cup captain Enrico Piperno.

“I am working with her this week only and I must say that she looked sharp, fit and keen in her game,” Piperno told UNI. However, he added that Sania’s game has been understood by her rivals after one year on the circuit and the Hyderabadi tennis sensation needed to evolve new plans to continue her tennis career. “After one year on the circuit the opposition knows your weaknesses and it’s just a matter of how you evolve yourself and change your game and find ways of going around your opponent. She needs to do that,” he said.

On her current form Piperno said: “She is in good nick. But she has a problem with shot selection. The angles she is trying to give to the shots don’t exist and that makes her lose points. I just gave her a few tips on those lines.”

“The role of a good coach is immense. The fact that Sania has not managed a coach till now with whom she can gel well has not augured well for her career. I hope she will soon find a coach with whom she can think of working long term. That will really boost her game,” he said.

Sunfeast

KOLKATA : INDIAN TENNIS SENSATION SANIA MIRZA DURING PRACTICE SESSION FOR THE SUNFEAST OPEN TENNIS TOURNAMENT AT NETAJI INDOOR STADIUM IN KOLKATA ON MONDAY. PTI PHOTO ; TENNIS SENSATION SANIA MIRZA DURING PRACTICE SESSION AT NETAJI INDOOR STADIUM IN KOLKATA ON MONDAY EARLY MORNING

An 'if' or 'but' from my lips can create national crisis: Sania

Kolkata, Sep 18: Apart from battling a form downslide and plummeting rankings, Indian tennis ace Sania Mirza also has to be on her guard while speaking as one loose statement from her could lead to "a national crisis".

"I have to measure every word I utter. An if to but from my lips can create a national crisis," the 19-year-old said here today.The country's top women's tennis star, who has found herself embroiled in controversies in the past over her on-court dress code which even led to some Muslim organisations issuing fatwa against her, made the admission during a brief interaction with school kids at a programme here.

Participating in a question-answer session with the kids at the Heritage school, Sania said her success in international tennis over the last two years had made her a responsible individual.

"In whatever I do, I have to be careful," she said, as some 50-odd students lapped up every moment of their tryst with the glamorous tennis star.

A cheerful Sania, responding to a query about her funniest moment on court, recalled an incident during the Hyderabad WTA Open two years back.

"I don't know whether it will be proper to narrate it before school children," Sania said pausing for a moment. "By the side of the court, there was a guy with a placard 'Sania, marry me'. And beside him were three other guys, each holding aloft placards 'and me', 'and me', 'and me'," she said, breaking into her trademark broad smile.

Another student asked Sania, what specific query she would put forth to her idol.

"Well, my idol is Steffi Graf. But whenever I have met her, I could never open my mouth. The day I manage to break my silence before her, I'll let you know".

Sania also urged the students to follow their dreams. "And you must enjoy what you are doing".

Sania earlier visited the Khiddirpore St Thomas Day school where she was welcomed with flowers by the children and the teachers.

Both the functions were marred by overzealous private securitymen deployed by the organisers who seemed more intent on shoving mediapersons away than preventing any breach of epace.

At the Heritage school, some securitymen even broke the camera of a television channel.

Sania will benefit by pairing with Paes: Bob Brett

Sania Mirza's decision to pair with Leander Paes in mixed doubles at December's Asian Games will bring the best out of her and lift her ranking, says renowned tennis coach Bob Brett.

"Leander is not only a great doubles player but a great mixed doubles player as well. The best thing about him is that he is always able to bring the best out of his partner," Brett told IANS in an interview.

Brett, who was here in connection with a tennis workshop, should know a thing or two about Sania's game as she had a stint with him at his academy in San Remo, Italy, in 2003.

Sania, currently playing in the Sunfeast Open in Kolkata, has slipped from a career-high world ranking of 31 in October last year, when she reached the fourth round of the US Open, to the current 70.

A spate of injuries and poor form has contributed to this downfall in rankings of one of India's best tennis players.

But Brett believes that a stint with Paes at the Asian Games in Doha will be the ideal tonic that she needs to lift her game.

"I believe that Leander is the one who helped Mahesh (Bhupathi) to bring the best out him. And now Mahesh has superseded Leander in terms of Grand Slam titles," said Brett in support of his argument.

Paes, who won the US Open doubles title with Martin Damm of Czech Republic recently, is known to lift his game in adversity, especially in the Davis Cup.

"Similarly, his association with Sania will also help her to improve rankings and regain form. In fact, India's medal prospects at the Doha Asian Games will also become bright," said the 53-year-old coach who has trained greats like Boris Becker, Goran Ivanesic and Mario Ancic.

Brett also had a word of caution for 19-year-old Sania, saying that she should be selective while choosing tournaments.

"Now she is only concentrating to improve her rankings and to do so she is playing lot of tournaments despite injuries. This can prove detrimental for her career," he opined.

"Good players know which tournaments they should play and which they should skip. This is the trick of the trade that Sania should learn by now."

Brett also accepted the fact that Sania, one of the biggest female sporting icons India has ever produced, is carrying a lot of expectations. He said that with time she would learn to strike a perfect balance between pressure and performance.

The coach also expressed his disappointment that India is not producing good players.

"India has all the ingredients to produce talents but somehow the country is not able to get Mahesh and Paes' successors," he lamented.

"You cannot give excuses that there are not enough role models in the country. Paes and Mahesh are too good by Indian standards and are ideal role models for the youngsters in the country."

Brett said that India's problem lies at the grass root level. And he went on to suggest the solution too: by coaching the coaches.

Sania, Paes can make a rocking pair

New Delhi: Sania Mirza's decision to pair with Leander Paes in mixed doubles at December's Asian Games will bring the best out of her and lift her ranking, says renowned tennis coach Bob Brett.

"Leander is not only a great doubles player, but a great mixed doubles player as well. The best thing about him is that he is always able to bring the best out of his partner," Brett said.

Brett, who was here in connection with a tennis workshop, should know a thing or two about Sania's game as she had a stint with him at his academy in San Remo, Italy, in 2003.

Sania, currently playing in the Sunfeast Open in Kolkata, has slipped from a career-high world ranking of 31 in October last year, when she reached the fourth round of the US Open, to the current 70.

A spate of injuries and poor form has contributed to this downfall in rankings of one of India's best tennis players. But Brett believes that a stint with Paes at the Asian Games in Doha will be the ideal tonic that she needs to lift her game.

"I believe Leander is the one who helped Mahesh (Bhupathi) to bring the best out him. And now Mahesh has superseded Leander in terms of Grand Slam titles," Brett said in support of his argument.

Paes, who won the US Open doubles title with Martin Damm of Czech Republic recently, is known to lift his game in adversity, especially in the Davis Cup. "Similarly, his association with Sania will also help her to improve rankings and regain form. In fact, India's medal prospects at the Doha Asian Games will also become bright," said the 53-year-old coach who has trained greats like Boris Becker, Goran Ivanesic and Mario Ancic.

Brett also had a word of caution for 19-year-old Sania, saying that she should be selective while choosing tournaments. "Now she is only concentrating to improve her rankings and to do so she is playing lot of tournaments despite injuries. This can prove detrimental for her career," he opined.

"Good players know which tournaments they should play and which they should skip. This is the trick of the trade that Sania should learn by now." Brett also accepted the fact that Sania, one of the biggest female sporting icons India has ever produced, is carrying a lot of expectations. He said that with time she would learn to strike a perfect balance between pressure and performance.

The coach also expressed his disappointment that India is not producing good players. "India has all the ingredients to produce talents but somehow the country is not able to get Mahesh and Paes' successors," he lamented.

"You cannot give excuses that there are not enough role models in the country. Paes and Mahesh are too good by Indian standards and are ideal role models for the youngsters in the country." Brett said that India's problem lies at the grass root level. And he went on to suggest the solution too: by coaching the coaches.

An artificial 'Sania Mania'?

Kolkata, Sep 17: Even as the Kolkatans have shown little interest towards the Sunfeast Open this year so far, the tournament organisers played a cat-and-mouse game with the journos regarding the arrival time of Indian favourite Sania Mirza.

In contrast to the last edition,, when Sania was the darling of the crowds after her series of scintillating performances, the sports buffs here seem to have turned away from the Hyderabad girl.

There is little discussion in the street corners and cofeee shops about the tournament, and even less about Sania.

However, the organisers seem to be living in a make-believe world of their own.

Since morning, despite repeated queries from the mediapersons, the organisers kept Sania's arrival time under wraps. There was a large assembly of journalists in the players' hotel since the morning, as rumours constantly floated in the air about Sania having arrived at the airport.

Sania to begin campaign against Rushmi

Kolkata, Sep 17: India's numero uno player Sania Mirza would begin her campaign at the USD 175,000 WTA Sunfeast Open by taking on qualifier Rushmi Chakravarthi in the first round.

Sania, the fifth seed, would meet the winner of the opening round clash between Russian Galina Voskoboeva and German Sandra Kloeel in the second round.

Veteran Tamil Nadu girl Chakravarthi made the cut for the main draw by accounting for compatriot Tara Iyer 7-5 6-4 in the second round of the qualifying tournament earlier in the day.

Sania, who arrived here last night, had a two-and-half hour practice session in the morning and followed it up with another tune-up session in the evening.

Local players Manoj Sewa, Vinod Sewa and Akshay Bajoria donned the mantle of hitting partner.

Despite Sania's downward performance graph, former Davis Cup coach Akhtar Ali felt that she was now an improved player.

"Both movement-wise and physically, she looks better," Akhtar, who watched Sania's morning practice routine, told PTI.

Mirza have points to prove in Kolkata tournament

Former world number one Martina Hingis and Indian star Sania Mirza have been drawn to meet in the semifinals of the 175,000-dollar WTA tournament starting here on Monday.Top-seeded Swiss player Hingis, who in 1996 had become the youngest
Wimbledon champion at the age of 15 years and nine months, has an important assignment at hand in a bid to recapture old glory.

Fifth seed Mirza, who will turn 20 in November, faces pressure of a different kind in front of a home crowd as she looks to bounce back after seeing her rankings fall to 70 from 31 last year.

World number nine Hingis's first round opponent will be Hungarian Melinda Czink, who had a couple of good WTA outings recently while Mirza is lucky to be playing a qualifier in the opening match.

Other prominent names in the field include Karolina Sprem of Croatia, Nicole Pratt of Australia and Estonian Kaia Kanepi.

Second-seeded Sprem has an easy draw till the quarter-finals, where she has the chance to meet eighth seed Anastassia Rodionova of Russia.

Third seed Yuliana Fedak of Ukraine may have an easy ride till the semi-finals where she may face seventh seed Pratt.

The seedings:

1. Martina Hingis (SUI)

2. Karolina Sprem (CRO)

3. Yuliana Fedak (UKR)

4. Aravane Rezai (FRA)

5. Sania Mirza (IND)

6. Kaia Kanepi ((EST)

7. Nicole Pratt (AUS)

8. Anastassia Rodionova (RUS)

Sania Mirza wants land, CM not game

Back home after a forgettable season which saw her slide steeply in the WTA rankings, Sania Mirza met chief minister YS Rajasekhara Reddy on Saturday and requested him to allot land for setting up a tennis academy.

Clearly taken aback by the request, the chief minister assured the player that her request would receive due consideration and advised her to concentrate more on her game.

Sources in the CM's office told TOI that Sania, the biggest beneficiary of the previous government's largesse, assured the CM that 2007 would be eventful as she intends to hire a foreign coach.

The source, however, made it clear that the government was in no mood to consider Sania's request: "She is still very young. Maybe the soaring land prices in the city prompted her to come up with such a request.

The government had already given her more than Rs 1 crore and a 500 square yard site in Jubilee Hills. She is also getting a lot of money through endorsements. What more does she need?"

It was also reliably learnt that Sania's mother Naseema and a former managing director of the Sports Authority of Andhra Pradesh had approached officials regarding the allotment of land.

The chief minister, who was kept in the dark about these developments, was said to have expressed his displeasure over the turn of events.

"Whenever someone like Sania meets the chief minister, the latter should be well informed about the agenda. This was not the case when Sania met him," the source said.

Perhaps, at a time when top sportspersons like Koneru Humpy and Pentyala Harikrishna are struggling to find sponsors, the government knows that doling out more sops to Sania will only invite severe criticism.

Sania signs a style statement

Lotto's Fall Winter range is dedicated to the champ

GAME PLAN: Tennis ace Sania Mirza at the launch of Lotto's Fall Winter'06 Collection in Hyderabad on Friday. — PHOTO: SATISH H.

HYDERABAD: It's all bright and fresh. Lotto - an Italian sportswear brand launched its Fall Winter '06 Sania Signature Collection, with its brand ambassador Sania Mirza endorsing the products here on Friday.

According to the company the range includes a range of lively, stylish and comfortable clothing like T-shirts, sweatshirts, jackets, lowers, capris etc. Lotto has introduced bags and caps also for the first time.

The sportswear company has dedicated the entire FW '06 women's range to Sania.

All the apparels bear her signature giving "unique opportunity" to the consumer to wear the same style which Sania endorses, said K.V.S. Unni, Head- (India), Lotto Sports Italia.

Speaking to the reporters, Sania said, "I am happy to be involved with something so good and different. Rarely do we become a part of the process of designing our own wear. I thank Lotto for making the collection happen."

Sania needs to reach semis to meet Hingis

SPORT SANIA DRAW PRINT EMAIL
Sania needs to reach semis to meet Hingis

KOLKATA, SEP 16 (PTI)

A possible mouthwatering clash between Indian ace Sania Mirza and world No 9 Martina Hingis of Switzerland in the USD 175,000 WTA Sunfeast Open will have to wait till the semifinal stage.

Sania, seeded fifth, has got an easy opening round outing against a qualifier while top-seeded Hingis would be up against world number 84 Melinda Czink of Hungary, as per the draw of lots for the main tournament, which begins on Monday.

Czink, who had taken the fizz out of the Sunfeast Open last year by conquering crowd favourite Sania in the second round, has been in good form of late and could pose a few problems for title favourite Hingis.

Sania, whose ranking has plummeted to 70 after a series of lacklustre shows, would face the winner of the first round battle between Russian Galina Voskoboeva and Sandra Kloesel of Germany if she gets past the first round.

If the Hyderabadi crosses the hurdle, she could come up against fourth seed French girl Aravane Rezai, who crosses sword with Indian wild card Ankita Bhambri in the lung-opener.

In case Sania pulls off an upset of sorts and Hingis does justice to her reputation, the two could engage in a duel at the pre-summit stage of the tournament.

Among other Indians, 194-ranked Shikha Uberoi, who has got a wild card, face 132-ranked Czech girl Hana Sromova in the first round.

The other wild card entrant, US-born player of Indian origin Sunitha Rao, has a tough opener as she would be up against seventh seed Nicole Pratt of Australia.

Second seed and world No. 50 Croat Karolina Sprem has been drawn against Australian Casey Dellacqua, while third seed Yuliana Fedak of Australia takes on Italian Alberta Brianti in the first round.

Other first round duels include sixth seed Kaia Kanepi of Estonia versus Thailand's Tamarine Tanasugarn and eighth seed Russian Anastassia Rodionova versus compatriot Alla Kudryavtseva.

Sania walks the ramp

Sania Mirza makes news whether she is on or off the tennis court as on Friday, she chose to be on the ramp, wearing clothes she had herself helped design.

Mirza, World number 70, who had enrolled to be a journalist in college but has turned a designer instead.

She herself walked the ramp to show the collection to her home crowd in Hyderabad.

"You will see that we have used a lot of bright colours, just to keep it light and keep the mood going," said Mirza.

Game of more interest

But it is not so much the clothes, but Sania's game itself that is perhaps more of interest or rather concern just now that Sania is slipping in the rankings ladder.

"I have matured as a player. As far as ranking is considered, it is a different thing and it keeps going up and down and there is nothing much I can do about it," said Mirza.

Sania says it does not matter that she has not won a title in 2006.

"I am 19 years old and I am not over the hill that suddenly I need to say that I cannot win a slam in singles. I might retire and I might never win a slam but that is not what we play for. Two years ago, no one ever thought I would be in the top 31 and again you are back to square one,'' said Mirza.

Sania would be in action before the Kolkotta crowd at the Sunfeast Open that starts next week.

Grand Slam title is not my goal: Sania

Hyderabad, Sep 15 : With her world ranking falling due to disappointing performance this season, Indian tennis star Sania Mirza Friday said her career might end without a Grand Slam title.

Stating that Grand Slam was not her goal and ranking was not her priority, the 19-year-old said she had matured as a player and was enjoying her game.

"I am enjoying the game and there is bound to be some ebb and flow. Two years back no one expected me to break into world top 50. I may or may not win a Grand Slam event but I still enjoy the game," she told newsmen at the launch of `Lotto Fall Winter '06 Signature collection' of Italian sports major Lotto.

Sania Mirza, whose ranking plummeted from an all-time high of 31 to 70 recently, did not agree that her form was as bad as being projected by the media.

"In the game there are going to be ups and downs. The rankings go up and come down. I am concerned about my game and I am enjoying playing it," she said.

Expressing confidence over her fitness levels, Sania hoped to have a good season ahead.

"My fitness levels are fine now. Only that I have some problem with my wrist as it hurts off and on", she said.

Sania, the only Indian to hold WTA title, claimed that she had improved on her serve and fitness and said she was working hard on some grey areas of her game.

"Earlier, I only had a good forehand. Now I have the entire game with me. The competition is also getting tougher. Previously, I was very offensive and that was my biggest weapon. Now I have added some tactical variations which did give some good results," she said.

Asked about playing doubles and mixed doubles, Sania said: "I'm nineteen and it is not time to think about playing doubles. I will be playing in the singles circuit for some more time."

She said she had no objection to playing with anyone for the doubles at Doha Asian Games.

Asked about playing alongside Leander Paes, she said: "I had played with him earlier and I have no objection playing with anyone."

I am ready to play with anyone: Sania

Photo: PTI

ROLE MODEL: Sania Mirza feels people like her have a role to motivate kids. She played with a few kids at an event to promote the Sunfeast Open.

MUMBAI: Sania Mirza has put personal choices aside about mixed doubles partners for Doha Asian Games. "I am ready to play with Leander Paes, Mahesh Bhupathi, Prakash Amritraj or anyone else. It is not my choice. It is the committee which thought that we (Sania-Leander mixed doubles pairing) could do better."

She was facing a volley of questions at Inorbit Mall, Mumbai, as part of a promotion for the Sunfeast Open, to be organised by Globosport in Kolkata.

The hard-hitting Indian was referring to news reports about Leander agreeing to partner her at 2006 Doha Games, leading to Mahesh Bhupathi expressing surprise after being under the impression that Sania would team up with him. Finally, the AITA stepped in and opted to continue with the Busan Asian Games 2002 combination for Doha — Leander Paes and Sania Mirza. Sania said: "I had a phenomenal first year. It is humanely impossible to repeat it year after year. Critics are always there, I am an optimistic person so looking forward to doing better."

"You get figured out after a certain while," Sania said about her game. "It happens to everybody. Even when I am watching opponents' matches, I try to figure out ways to tackle them. It is not a major problem, only a minor one," explained Sania.

She accepts that sportspersons like her have a role to motivate kids through various events. "It is important to have clinics like these where you can meet kids, hit with them. It keeps them motivated. Leander and Mahesh used to be my idols. I still look up to them and remember, as a 12-year-old, getting Mahesh's autograph on a tennis ball when he had visited our academy." Now it is her turn to inspire, hitting with kids on an improvised tennis court set up in the mall lobby, watched by distracted shoppers, the sport freaks among them appearing courtside for a closer look.

I'm not as bad as being projected: Sania

Hyderabad, September 15: Tennis sensation Sania Mirza expressed confidence over her fitness levels, barring a minor problem with her wrist and hopes to have a good season ahead despite her fall in rankings."My fitness levels are fine now. Only that I have some problem with my wrist as it hurts on and off," Sania said during a promotional programme.

Sania, the solitary WTA title holder in the country, said she has matured as a player now and was working hard on some grey areas of her game.

"Earlier, I only had a good forehand. Now I have the entire game with me so is also the competition getting tougher," Sania, who slipped to 70 in the world ranking due to not so impressive recent performances, said. Brushing aside the talk of the form, the former Wimbledon junior doubles champion said, "in the game there are going to be ups and downs. The rankings go up and come down. I am concerned about my game and I am enjoying playing it." Sania said she did not feel that her form was as bad as being projected by the media.

"I am enjoying the game. There is bound to be some ebb and flow. Two years back no one expected me to break into world top 50. I may or may not win a Grand Slam even but still I enjoy the game," she said.

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NDIAN TENNIS SENSATION SANIA MIRZA GIVING TIPS TO SCHOOL CHILDREN, IN MUMBAI ON THURSDAY, DURING 'TENNIS IN THE MALL', A PROMOTIONAL EVENT ORGANISED AHEAD OF THE SUNFEAST OPEN, 2006

Promotional event for WTA tennis tournament 3

Sania Mirza attends a promotional event for the upcoming WTA tennis tournament during a function in Mumbai September 14, 2006. The WTA tennis tournament will take place in the eastern Indian city of Kolkata from September 18.

Promotional event for WTA tennis tournament 2

Sania Mirza speaks during a promotional event for the upcoming WTA tennis tournament during a function in Mumbai September 14, 2006. The WTA tennis tournament will take place in the eastern Indian city of Kolkata from September 18.

Promotional event for WTA tennis tournament 1

India's tennis player Sania Mirza attends a promotional event for upcoming the WTA tennis tournament during a function in Mumbai September 14, 2006. The WTA tennis tournament will take place in the eastern Indian city of Kolkata from September 18.

Promotional event for WTA tennis tournament

India's tennis player Sania Mirza plays a shot during a promotional event for the upcoming WTA tennis tournament during a function in Mumbai September 14, 2006. The WTA tennis tournament will take place in the eastern Indian city of Kolkata from September 18.

Sania to partner Liezel Huber in Sunfeast Open

Sania Mirza, currently enjoying a career-high doubles ranking as World No. 28 would have top doubles player Liezel Huber from South Africa as her partner in the doubles event of the Sunfeast Open Tennis tournament to be held in Kolkata from September 18-24.

Sania and Huber would be chasing their third title together, having won the WTA Bangalore Open Tennis Tournament earlier this season and the Hyderabad Open in 2004, a media release from the organisers said today.

The pair had also made the final at Amelia Island this year before losing the title-clash to the Japanese-Slovenian pair of Shinobu Asagoe and Katarina Srebotnik.

Apart from Amelia Island, Sania has also been a finalist in the doubles at Istanbul and Cincinnati during the 2006 season.

The 20-year-old Huber has 14 WTA doubles title to her credit, including a Grand Slam at Wimbledon last year. Apart from the Bangalore win with Sania, she has also won at Strasbourg with Martina Navratilova in 2006.

The South African player is currently ranked World No 21 in doubles after sliding down the ladder from a a career-high ranking of 4 which she reached on July 4, 2005.

Meanwhile another talented Indian player Shikha Uberoi has been given a wild card in the singles event in the 175,000 USD tier III WTA event, the organisers have said.

Shikha had a good run in the event last year, upsetting eighth seed Rika Fujiwara of Japan before coming a cropper agaist eventual champion Anastasia Myskina in the quarters.

Sania unfazed by drop in ranking

India's top woman tennis player Sania Mirza did not sound too concerned about the drop in her world ranking and was optimistic about her future at the international level.

Stating that she had a phenomenal first year on the WTA circuit, when her ranking rose as high as 33 in 2005, the Hyderabad-based lass insisted that it is not possible to repeat the feat year after year.

"It's not humanly possibly to repeat it year after year. I am optimistic (about her future)", the 70th-ranked Sania said at a promotional event for next week's Sunfeast Open in Kolkata, organised by the WTA tournament's promoters Globosport, in Mumbai on Thursday.

Sania, whose short career has been beset by a spate of injuries, also did not feel threatened by the fact that her game has been "figured out", and brushed it aside as a minor problem to be overcome.

"That's not a major problem, but only a minor one. It happens to all the players. Even I try to figure out the other players' game when I watch them on TV," she said.

Asked about the All India Tennis Association's decision to pit her with seasoned Davis Cup campaigner Leander Paes for the mixed doubles event in the December Asian Games in Doha,

Sania said it was the selection committee's decision and she would be happy to play with Paes or Mahesh Bhupathi or anyone else.

"It's not my choice. It's the committee's decision. I would have been happy to play with Leander or Bhupathi or anyone else," she said.

Sania will play in the individual events as well as team events in the Qatar Games. She will partner Shikha Uberoi in the women's doubles and Paes in the mixed event.

Sania said her decision to change her travelling coach quite often (S Narendranath, a former national champion, is her current coach) was because of the comfort factor.

"I have to spend around 18 hours a day with a traveling coach, including breakfast, lunch and dinner. I look out for someone I am comfortable with," she said.

She said she is now looking forward to playing in the Kolkata WTA event and said the tournament would help Indian fans know what goes into the making of a top player like Swiss

Grand Slam champion Martina Hingis, who has entered the event.

"It's through events like the Sunfeast Open that people in India would come to know what goes into the making of a top player like Martina Hingis.

"I am very excited to play in the tournament," she added.

Sania to be fourth seed at Sunfeast

With Sania Mirza's ranking nose-diving to 70, it means the Indian ace will be seeded only fourth at the WTA Tier III Sunfeast Open that gets underway here this Monday. Former World No 1 Martina Hingis featuring just inside the Top-10 on the WTA list, at 9, will lead the seedings in the 32-player draw.

Sania who was seeded No 3 at the inaugural edition of the tournament last year, will now be seeded behind the Swiss miss, Croatian Karolina Sprem (ranked 50) and Ukrainian Yuliana Fedak (64). Sania's conqueror last September Hungarian Melinda Czink (84) will be seeded eighth.

The Hyderabadi's second round exit last year acted as a dampener with fans wanting to see more of their home favourite. This time though they would be hoping to catch Sania and Hingis in a riveting duel on September 24.

Sania's downhill journey sore point for Sunfeast Open

Sania Mirza's lacklustre display and plumetting rankings may act as a dampener for the USD 175, 000 WTA Sunfeast Open that begins here on September 18.

The second edition of the fancied meet, with world No 9 Martina Hingis of Switzerland as the top seed, has nine players who are ranked among the top 100 in the WTA list.

However, apart from Hingis, the home-spun Sania was expected to be the main draw for the tennis fans of the metropolis who had turned out in numbers to watch the glamorous Hyderabad girl in action in the maiden edition of the tourney last year.

Sania, who created waves in the international circuit last year with a series of scintillating performances to shot up into the 30s in the run up to the tournament, caused quite a few hartbreaks when she went down to Hungarian Melinda Czink in the second round.

With Sania's exit, the fizz went out of the tournament, and even the final -- that featured top star Anastasia Myskina against Karolina Sprem -- was played before largely empty stands at the Netaji Indoor Stadium.

And this came after a high-pitch build-up centering around Sania to the event.

In contrast to last year, Sania has seen her fortunes slide in the last two weeks as her rankings dropped sharply from 44 to 70 after back-to-back early defeats in WTA events as also the US Open.

The build-up to the tournament has also been low key this time compared to last year.

Sania to lead India's Asiad campaign

Leander Paes and Sania Mirza will lead India's campaign in both the individual and team tennis events at the Asian Games, in Doha in December.

Paes, who last played a singles match as Davis Cup captain against Pakistan in Mumbai in April, will be joined by Mahesh Bhupathi, Rohan Bopanna, Harsh Mankad, Karan Rastogi and Prakash Amritraj in the individual men's event.

Mankad, who was not available for Davis Cup duties this year, has been chosen ahead of Amritraj by virtue of his better ATP Tour ranking in the team event alongside Paes, Bhupathi and Bopanna.

Amritraj and Rastogi are in the reserves.

In doubles, Paes will pair with former Grand Slam partner Bhupathi while Amritraj will take the court alongside Bopanna, according to the team announced by All India Tennis Association on Tuesday.

The women's team comprises Sania, Shikha Uberoi, Ankita Bhambri, Isha Lakhani, Rushmi Chakravarthy and Sandya Nagraj in the individual competition.

The first four of them will play the team event while Rushmi and Sandhya are the reserves.

The doubles teams comprise the pairings of Sania and Shikha and Ankita with Isha.

Paes and Sania form the star mixed doubles combine while Bhupathi and Shikha constitute the second team.

The singles nominations will be announced later.

The AITA also confirmed Paes and Sania representing India in the Asian Hopman Cup, to be played in Hyderabad in November.

It also announced the appointment of Akhtar Ali as the non-playing captain for the Indo-Pak Series, which will feature four one-day ties on November 6th, 8th, 10th and 12th.

Bopanna, Rastogi, Divij Sharan and Vivek Shokeen form the Indian team for the matches that will be held at Islamabad, Lahore, Chandigarh and Gurgaon respectively.

Sania's world ranking plunges to 70

The US Open has brought lots of bad news and some cheers to the Indian fans, with Sania Mirza's world ranking taking a steep dive to 70 on the women's tour and Leander Paes returning to the top-10 in the ATP Doubles individual rankings.

It was a loss of 16 places for the 19-year old Hyderabadi lass from her previous ranking and it came after the second round loss at the year's final Grand Slam.

The Indian's best singles performance this season has come on the US hard courts with two quarterfinal appearances, at Cincinnati and Forest Hills.

The last of those two results came a week before the Open but Sania could not extend it to the courts of Flushing Meadows where she went down to Francesca Schiavone of Italy in straight sets.

Paes gained three places and was ranked ninth, thanks to his doubles triumph with Martin Damm of Czech Republic who was one rung below the Indian ace.

It was Paes' fourth crown, besides three mixed doubles titles, and his first without partnering Mahesh Bhupathi with whom he had won the French Open in 1999 and 2001, and the Wimbledon in 1999.

Paes was returning to the top-10 after 14 weeks, having gone out of the elite zone since the week of May 15. Bhupathi's own free fall continued as he slipped two places further to be 29th.

sania in action

Sania Mirza of India serves against Francesca Schiavone of Italy during the US Open at the USTA Tennis Center in Flushing Meadows, New York. Schiavone won 5-7, 6-1, 6-2.Thursday, Aug. 31, 2006

Sania may not be among top three seeds at Sunfeast

Sania Mirza may not receive a top three seeding in the forthcoming Sunfeast Open here due to her indifferent form, tournament director Jaidip Mukherjea said Friday.

While the focus of the tournament will be former world number one Martina Hingis of Switzerland, Croat Karolina Sprem and Estonian Kaia Kanepi are also expected to take a leap in the WTA rankings because of their fine form in recent tournaments as well as the ongoing US Open.

With another early exit in the US Open, Sania is sure to drop more points, while Kaia with a third round entry is sure to gain some.

Sania has dropped to 50 in the world rankings as she made early exits from all major tournaments this year. Her only hope is to do well in Bali Open, which is immediately before this tournament.

Talking to reporters, Mukherjea said all three wildcards would be given to Indian players. With Sikha Oberia and Ankita Bhambri sure to get wildcards, the third spot is up for grabs.

Abigail Spears of the US has been given a special entry as a 'Feed-Up' player.

Twelve players will vie for the four qualifying spots and complete the main draw of 32.

Mukherjea also said Canadian Tony Cho will be the WTA appointed tournament referee.

Main Draw (direct entry):

Martina Hingis, Sania Mirza, Karolina Sprem, Yuliana Fedak, Melinda Czink, Kaia Kanepi, Aravane Rezai, Galina Voskoboeva, Yulia Beygelzimer, Hana Sromova, Anastasia Rodionova, Nicole Pratt, Olga Poutchkova, Tamarine Tanasugarn, Angelique Widjaja, Antonella Serra Zaneti, Sandra Kloesel, Lioudmila Skavronskaia, Tatina Piutchek, Yung-jan Chan, Anda Perianu, Tzipore Obziler, Arantxa Para Santonja, Anne Keothavong.

Sania capable of reaching top 20, says Brett

NEW DELHI: He sweated it out for more than three hours under hot sun and high humidity, training 50-odd tennis players, but when he opted to face the microphones and the media, the subject was about his best ward from the country who was not present on the occasion — Sania Mirza.

As the coach who had predicted first that Sania would be a top-30 player when she was hovering in the 400s, and who had trained her a few times at his base in Italy, at San Remo, Bob Brett was quick to defend Sania, by saying that she was just suffering from `second year blues' on the tour.

The 52-year-old Australian who has trained the likes of Boris Becker, Goran Ivanisevic, Marat Safin and Mario Ancic, jokingly said that he had perhaps made a mistake in his assessment when he found that Sania's best ranking so far was No. 31.

On a more serious note, Bob Brett said that Sania was capable of reaching the top-20 in the next two years, if she focused as much on strengthening her strong points as she may be obsessed in working on her weaknesses.

"In the last couple of years, Sania has gone beyond all expectations," he said.

"The challenge is to stay up there. Despite much higher levels of competition, the expectations remain high.

"Her game has improved a lot, but there is no end to improvement for all of us. She may be missing easy forehands, but she still has one of the best forehands on the tour. Well, it is not about having a good serve, a strong forehand or volley, but the ability to combine them for a winning game.

She has to believe that she has a big serve. She has to believe that she has the ability to be much higher and have the discipline to work towards progress,'' said Bob Brett.

The genial coach summed up by saying that Sania was a work in progress, indeed a work of art. She has to pursue her dreams and have the motivation to prepare for the next year.

On the subject of Sania changing coaches a few times through the season, the Japanese Davis Cup coach said that it was a question of finding the right chemistry, and the results could be expected only after nine months and any good results in the first few months was just good fortune.

Sania goes shopping4

Though Sania has dropped out of the top 50 rankings, her mentor Mahesh Bhupathi is backing her to do even better than she did last year.

'She's 20 years old, people normally stagnate when they're 45, right? So give her a break,' Bhupathi said when reporters asked if he thought Sania was faltering. Here, Sania, her dad Imran Mirza and coach Narendranath make a bite stop in the midst of all the shopping.

Sania goes shopping3

Muslim clerics threatened to issue a fatwa against Sania for wearing short skirts during her matches last year.

But such was her appeal in India that the controversy died down soon as the clerics were overwhelmed by national contempt.

Sania, who struggled to find backers during her earlier years in the game, signed up many endorsements after her success (she was the first Indian woman to reach the fourth round of a Grand Slam tournament at the 2005 US Open).

At one point she was considered a serious challenger to Sachin Tendulkar and Rahul Dravid in the endorsement sweepstakes.

Sania goes shopping2

Sania appreciates a selection of jackets.

Her choice of T-shirts made for as much newspaper copy and comment last year as did her game.

She remains the highest ranked lady tennis player ever from India. Though she has slid to 54 in the ATP rankings this year, Sania was ranked 31 in singles and 109 in doubles in October 2005.