Sania Mirza will take on Italian Alberta Brianti in her opening singles match of the French Open in Paris starting Sunday.
The Indian ace, who returned to action a fortnight ago from 2-1/2 months' lay-off following a knee injury, would run into seventh seed Ana Ivanovic of Serbia if she manages to clear the first hurdle.Alberta Brianti is not a famous player but Sania lost to her once in the past. So, Sania will be keen to take revenge. They have only played once. I am just worried for the bad form in singles of Sania Mirza. I hope that she can find her rhythm in French Open 2007.
Sunday, May 27, 2007
Wimbledon 2007: Sania Mirza and Mahesh Bhupathi
India's tennis sensation Sania Mirza is hoping to partner Mahesh Bhupathi in the mixed doubles event of Wimbledon as her doubles ranking is not helping her cause in the French Open, her father Irfan Mirza said today.
Sania now stands at 37 in the doubles while Bhupathi's rank is 25.
Her father told UNI that the pair may not be able to partner each other in the French Open as the combined ranking cut to get an entry in the mixed doubles category of the tournament is around 56.
Sania Mirza is now fit enough to take part in the coming French Open. However, it may take another few more weeks to get back in her prime form. I think Sania has a great potential to increase her ranking and get more success in the upcoming grand slam tournaments.
Sania now stands at 37 in the doubles while Bhupathi's rank is 25.
Her father told UNI that the pair may not be able to partner each other in the French Open as the combined ranking cut to get an entry in the mixed doubles category of the tournament is around 56.
Sania Mirza is now fit enough to take part in the coming French Open. However, it may take another few more weeks to get back in her prime form. I think Sania has a great potential to increase her ranking and get more success in the upcoming grand slam tournaments.
Sania, Chan falter at Istanbul final
Sania Mirza and her Taiwanese partner Yung-Jan Chan have lost in the final of the Istanbul Cup in Turkey.
The top seeds lost 1-6, 3-6 to an unseeded polish pair.
The defeat crushed Sania's hopes of back-to-back WTA doubles titles after her 4th doubles win at the Morocco Open last week.
This was Sania's last tournament before the French Open that starts Sunday.
The top seeds lost 1-6, 3-6 to an unseeded polish pair.
The defeat crushed Sania's hopes of back-to-back WTA doubles titles after her 4th doubles win at the Morocco Open last week.
This was Sania's last tournament before the French Open that starts Sunday.
Friday, May 25, 2007
Sania-Chan in Istanbul Cup final
Sania Mirza is eyeing her second WTA doubles tennis title in as many weeks after advancing to the final of US $200,000 Istanbul Cup in Istanbul on Friday.
The Indian ace and her new partner Yung-Jan Chan of Taipei overcame stiff resistance from Mervana Jugic-Salkic of Bosnia and Italy's Romina Oprandi before winning their semi-final match 6-7 (3/7), 6-0, 10-5.
Sania and Yung-Jan were leading 5-1 in the opening set after breaking their opponents in the first game of the match but squandered the advantage and allowed Mervana and Romina to level scores at 5-5 and win the set via the tie-breaker.
But it was a completely different story in the second set, which top seeded Sania and Yung-Jan dominated to take the match into the Super tie-breaker, which they won to clinch the match.
Sania won her fourth WTA doubles title at the Morocco Open at Fes, Morocco, partnering Vania King of the United States last week. She lost in the first round of the singles event in Istanbul to Meghann Shaughnessy
The Indian ace and her new partner Yung-Jan Chan of Taipei overcame stiff resistance from Mervana Jugic-Salkic of Bosnia and Italy's Romina Oprandi before winning their semi-final match 6-7 (3/7), 6-0, 10-5.
Sania and Yung-Jan were leading 5-1 in the opening set after breaking their opponents in the first game of the match but squandered the advantage and allowed Mervana and Romina to level scores at 5-5 and win the set via the tie-breaker.
But it was a completely different story in the second set, which top seeded Sania and Yung-Jan dominated to take the match into the Super tie-breaker, which they won to clinch the match.
Sania won her fourth WTA doubles title at the Morocco Open at Fes, Morocco, partnering Vania King of the United States last week. She lost in the first round of the singles event in Istanbul to Meghann Shaughnessy
Thursday, May 24, 2007
Sania to take on Alberta Brianti in French Open 1st round
Sania Mirza will take on Italian Alberta Brianti in her opening singles match of the French Open in Paris starting Sunday.
The Indian ace, who returned to action a fortnight ago from 2-1/2 months' lay-off following a knee injury, would run into seventh seed Ana Ivanovic of Serbia if she manages to clear the first hurdle.
The 20-year-old Hyderabadi girl is in the third quarter of the draw which also features Russia's Svetlana Kuznetsova as the third seed, Slovakian Daniela Hantuchova, seeded 12th, and former champion Anastasia Myskina.
Sania would be aiming to erase the memories of a heartbreaking loss to Brianti last year on the WTA Tour, the only time the duo has faced each other so far.
Since her reurn from injury layoff, Sania has been struggling with her singles form and made first round exits from the two WTA events she played after returning to court.
However, the Hyderabadi player has been in excellent doubles form, winning the Morocco Open and reaching the final of the ongoing Istanbul Cup.
Sania would be guided by reputed Spanish coach Gabriel Urpi during the Grand Slam fortnight at Roland Garros.
Urpi, a former ATP Tour player, worked with former women's singles champion Arantxa Sanchez Vicario and currently tied up with WTA players Flavia Pannetta and Virginia Ruano Pascual.
Meanwhile, the Indian fans would have to wait for a while to see Sania pair up with Mahesh Bhupathi on the Grand Slam stage.
The combined doubles ranking of the two players -- Sania is currently ranked 37th and Bhupathi 23rd -- is unlikely to get them into the main draw of the mixed doubles for which the cut-off is expected to be around 56.
The Indian ace, who returned to action a fortnight ago from 2-1/2 months' lay-off following a knee injury, would run into seventh seed Ana Ivanovic of Serbia if she manages to clear the first hurdle.
The 20-year-old Hyderabadi girl is in the third quarter of the draw which also features Russia's Svetlana Kuznetsova as the third seed, Slovakian Daniela Hantuchova, seeded 12th, and former champion Anastasia Myskina.
Sania would be aiming to erase the memories of a heartbreaking loss to Brianti last year on the WTA Tour, the only time the duo has faced each other so far.
Since her reurn from injury layoff, Sania has been struggling with her singles form and made first round exits from the two WTA events she played after returning to court.
However, the Hyderabadi player has been in excellent doubles form, winning the Morocco Open and reaching the final of the ongoing Istanbul Cup.
Sania would be guided by reputed Spanish coach Gabriel Urpi during the Grand Slam fortnight at Roland Garros.
Urpi, a former ATP Tour player, worked with former women's singles champion Arantxa Sanchez Vicario and currently tied up with WTA players Flavia Pannetta and Virginia Ruano Pascual.
Meanwhile, the Indian fans would have to wait for a while to see Sania pair up with Mahesh Bhupathi on the Grand Slam stage.
The combined doubles ranking of the two players -- Sania is currently ranked 37th and Bhupathi 23rd -- is unlikely to get them into the main draw of the mixed doubles for which the cut-off is expected to be around 56.
Spanish coach for Sania
New Delhi: Sania Mirza has roped in reputed Spanish coach Gabriel Urpi to help in her campaign at the French Open starting on Sunday.
This is a temporary arrangement as Sania will be guided by Urpi only during the Grand Slam fortnight. Urpi, a former ATP Tour player, has worked with Arantxa Sanchez Vicario and is currently tied up with Flavia Pannetta and Virginia Ruano Pascual.
The last time Sania sought guidance from a renowned coach was from the legendary Tony Roche before the start of 2006 season.
Meanwhile, the Indian fans will have to wait for a while to see Sania pair up with Mahesh Bhupathi on the Grand Slam stage. The combined doubles ranking of the two players — Sania is currently ranked 37th and Bhupathi 23rd — is unlikely to get them into the main draw of the mixed doubles for which the cut-off is expected to be around 56.
“But they definitely hope to play together in Wimbledon,” Sania’s father Imran said.
In the doubles at Roland Garros, Sania will partner Eva Birnerova of Russia.
Eva will be the 20-year-old Indian’s third partner in as many tournaments since she returned to the courts after a two-and-half-month-long lay-off following a knee injury.
Wednesday, May 23, 2007
Sania's feet of clay face stern test
IT'S a fact that Sania Mirza's greatest test of the season is ahead - the clay season of the WTA Tour. While her doubles record reads an impressive 14-5 W/L, that includes being in two finals, and the recent title at Morocco, singles have been a nightmare.
If just two singles wins from eight matches is any proof of her struggle, the other interesting statistic is the fact that Sania has dropped out of the Top 50 two times during the clay season. The worrying factor is, however, the struggle she's had to regain her elite status.
While August 27, 2006 was the day when Saina dropped to 54 - a rank that took over five months to shirk off, Monday saw her drop out of the top fifty again after managing to stay put there for 111 days.
With an injury to her right knee to be blamed for the dip in her ranking over the past three months,today, on the eve of her first match at the Istanbul Open, she is ranked 52 and the question that lurks is how fast she would manage to get back among the elite.
Seeded No 8 at Istanbul, Sania has a tough opener against world No 66 Meghan Shaughnessy of the United States, who, compared to Sania has a decent record on all surfaces.
Their Round One meeting on the clay courts of Istanbul on Tuesday will be a first. At Roland Garros the American has a 8-8 W-L, which, together with Sania's injury tilts the balance in Meghan's favour.
Having earned considerable success at Istanbul last year by finishing runners-up in the doubles event with Australia's Alicia Molik, the recent Morocco WTA success would surely have boosted Sania's confidence.
Seeded top for the doubles event, Sania and partner Yung-Jan Chan (Chinese Taipei) run into Romanians Sorana Cirstea/ Agnes Szatmari.
At the moment, clay may be good for Sania's knees more than the hard courts, but one thing that she would have on her mind is to jerk the rust off, for only wins would help her back to where she was. Sania FILE Important Dates- August 8, 2005: Cracked Top-50 - reached No 48 October 10, 2005: Career-high No 31 August 27, 2006: Slipped out of Top 50 - from No 44 to 54 January 29, 2007: Cracked Top-50 again - reached No 48, Reached career-high in doubles No 23 May 21, 2007: slipped out of Top-50.
If just two singles wins from eight matches is any proof of her struggle, the other interesting statistic is the fact that Sania has dropped out of the Top 50 two times during the clay season. The worrying factor is, however, the struggle she's had to regain her elite status.
While August 27, 2006 was the day when Saina dropped to 54 - a rank that took over five months to shirk off, Monday saw her drop out of the top fifty again after managing to stay put there for 111 days.
With an injury to her right knee to be blamed for the dip in her ranking over the past three months,today, on the eve of her first match at the Istanbul Open, she is ranked 52 and the question that lurks is how fast she would manage to get back among the elite.
Seeded No 8 at Istanbul, Sania has a tough opener against world No 66 Meghan Shaughnessy of the United States, who, compared to Sania has a decent record on all surfaces.
Their Round One meeting on the clay courts of Istanbul on Tuesday will be a first. At Roland Garros the American has a 8-8 W-L, which, together with Sania's injury tilts the balance in Meghan's favour.
Having earned considerable success at Istanbul last year by finishing runners-up in the doubles event with Australia's Alicia Molik, the recent Morocco WTA success would surely have boosted Sania's confidence.
Seeded top for the doubles event, Sania and partner Yung-Jan Chan (Chinese Taipei) run into Romanians Sorana Cirstea/ Agnes Szatmari.
At the moment, clay may be good for Sania's knees more than the hard courts, but one thing that she would have on her mind is to jerk the rust off, for only wins would help her back to where she was. Sania FILE Important Dates- August 8, 2005: Cracked Top-50 - reached No 48 October 10, 2005: Career-high No 31 August 27, 2006: Slipped out of Top 50 - from No 44 to 54 January 29, 2007: Cracked Top-50 again - reached No 48, Reached career-high in doubles No 23 May 21, 2007: slipped out of Top-50.
Sania loses
New Delhi: For the second week in a row since returning from knee injury, Sania Mirza failed to clear the opening round in a WTA Tour event, going down tamely to Meghann Shaughnessy in the $200,000 Istanbul Cup tennis tournament on Tuesday.
The 52nd-ranked Indian lost 4-6, 3-6 in just over one hour and 20 minutes.
The 52nd-ranked Indian lost 4-6, 3-6 in just over one hour and 20 minutes.
Tuesday, May 22, 2007
Sania-Vania win doubles title
Sania Mirza won her first WTA title this year by winning the Morocco Open Doubles with American partner Vania King.
The Top seeded pair beat second seeds Romania's Andreea Ehritt-Vanc and Anastassia Rodianova of Russia 6-1, 6-2 in the doubles final.
Sania, who was out with knee injury for about three months, more than made up for her singles ouster of the Morocco Open. This was Sania's fourth career title and her first outside India.
The Top seeded pair beat second seeds Romania's Andreea Ehritt-Vanc and Anastassia Rodianova of Russia 6-1, 6-2 in the doubles final.
Sania, who was out with knee injury for about three months, more than made up for her singles ouster of the Morocco Open. This was Sania's fourth career title and her first outside India.
Sania drops to No. 52
New Delhi: Sania Mirza’s Morocco Open doubles triumph saw her doubles ranking improve to No. 37 on the WTA list issued on Monday.
The first round exit in the singles event , however, made her drop one place to No. 52 on the singles list. She has 503 ranking points.
The 20-year-old, back after a two-and-a-half-month injury lay-off, teamed up with American Vania King to clinch the doubles title in Fes on Saturday. The win pushed her up four places with 1027 points.
On the men’s side, Leander Paes stayed at No. 6 on the individual doubles list with 3940 points. Mahesh Bhupathi moved up two places to 23rd with 1670 points.
In the Champions Race, Paes and his Czech partner, Martin Damm, moved down one spot to No. 3 with 345 points.
The first round exit in the singles event , however, made her drop one place to No. 52 on the singles list. She has 503 ranking points.
The 20-year-old, back after a two-and-a-half-month injury lay-off, teamed up with American Vania King to clinch the doubles title in Fes on Saturday. The win pushed her up four places with 1027 points.
On the men’s side, Leander Paes stayed at No. 6 on the individual doubles list with 3940 points. Mahesh Bhupathi moved up two places to 23rd with 1670 points.
In the Champions Race, Paes and his Czech partner, Martin Damm, moved down one spot to No. 3 with 345 points.
Sania-Chan through to doubles quarters in Istanbul
Top seeds Sania Mirza and her Taiwanese partner Yung-Jan Chan sailed into the quarterfinals of the $200,000 Istanbul Cup with an easy 6-3, 6-1 win over the Romanian pair of Sorana Cirstea and Agnes Szatmari in Turkey on Tuesday.
Sania and Yung-Jan will take on the Greco-German duo of Anna Polunina and Stella Menna in the last eight stage of the Tier III WTA Tour event.
The top seeds overcame a patchy start to storm past their unseeded rivals for a comfortable victory.
Sania and Yung-Jan were broken twice in the first set but more than made up for that with four breaks of their own in the opening set.
The Indo-Taiwanese combination put up an even better display in the next set and held their serve besides breaking the Romanians twice to clinch the match.
Earlier, Sania bowed out of the singles competition in the first round itself, losing to American Meghann Saughnessy.
The Indian ace, who is coming back after a 2-1/2 month-long injury layoff, was seeded eighth in the singles draw.
Sania and Yung-Jan will take on the Greco-German duo of Anna Polunina and Stella Menna in the last eight stage of the Tier III WTA Tour event.
The top seeds overcame a patchy start to storm past their unseeded rivals for a comfortable victory.
Sania and Yung-Jan were broken twice in the first set but more than made up for that with four breaks of their own in the opening set.
The Indo-Taiwanese combination put up an even better display in the next set and held their serve besides breaking the Romanians twice to clinch the match.
Earlier, Sania bowed out of the singles competition in the first round itself, losing to American Meghann Saughnessy.
The Indian ace, who is coming back after a 2-1/2 month-long injury layoff, was seeded eighth in the singles draw.
Monday, May 21, 2007
Sania gets top ranking in doubles event
New Delhi: Fresh from her success in the Morocco Open, Sania Mirza has been top seeded in the doubles competition of the US$ 200,000 WTA Istanbul Cup in Turkey.The Indian ace, who clinched the Morocco doubles title with American Vania King, will be teaming up with Yung-Jan Chan of Taiwan in the event.
The 20-year-old has been seeded eighth in the singles and will take on American Meghann Shaughnessy in the first round.
In the doubles event, Sania and Yung-Jan will start their campaign against the Romanian pair of Sorana Cirstea and Agnes Szatmari.
The tier III event features some of the biggest names in the WTA circuit like US Open champion Maria Sharapova of Russia, American Venus Williams and Swiss Patty Schnyder.
Sharapova has already got a walkover to the second round.
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