Sania Mirza lose a thriller

Sania Mirza crashed out of the women’s doubles event after losing a thriller.Fourteenth seeds Sania and Francesca Schiavone of Italy made a smart recovery from a set down but failed to deliver at crucial points in the decider to lose 2-6, 6-1, 5-7 against the unseeded duo of Gisela Dulko of Argentina and Shahar Peer of Israel in a 125-minute second round match.

The opening set saw Dulko and Peer having the upper hand in service by firing three aces while Sania and Schiavone struggled with their serves as they dropped two of them to give away the first set 2-6 in 27 minutes.The Indo-Italian pair staged a fine recovery in the second set as they tightened their service game and engaged their rivals in long rallies which they won most of the time.

Sania and Schiavone broke Dulko and Peer twice in the second set while giving them no chance to do the same.

Both the pairs reserved their best for the decider which lasted 68 minutes. Sania and Schiavone smashed three aces but failed to win the crucial points.

With most of the games being stretched to deuces, breakpoints changed sides and Dulko and Peer converted more of them than their Indo-American opponents.

Dulko and Peer converted two of the nine breakpoints, while Sania and Schiavone won one out of seven.

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US Open : Sania Mirza's worst defeat

Sania Mirza offered no excuses following her 6-0 6-0 whitewash at the hands of 10th seed Flavia Pennetta at the US Open on Wednesday.

The 22-year-old Mirza had no chance against the in-form Pennetta, the first Italian woman to reach the world's top 10.

"If she plays like that, she's going to win the Open," Mirza told reporters following the 50-minute, second-round blowout under sunny skies at Louis Armstrong Stadium.

"I wasn't thinking, 'I'm playing such horrible tennis.' She had an answer for everything. That's something you just have to deal with and move on. Tomorrow's a new day."

While Pennetta has been riding a hot streak, winning the title in Los Angeles last month, world number 74 Mirza has been playing most of her tennis on the ITF circuit, a level below the main tour.

The first set was over in 22 minutes and though Mirza had a game point in the first and fifth games of the second, she could not get on the scoreboard.

Mirza said she could not recall ever getting blanked in a tennis match, even as a junior.

"I could have been more aggressive but then again she didn't give me a chance to do anything," said Mirza. "She was there from the word go. She was so aggressive."

The 27-year-old Pennetta, who lost only four games in her first-round match against Romania's Edina Gallovits, had only 10 unforced errors against Mirza.

Mirza said Pennetta always had a great backhand but her improved forehand has made her particularly dangerous.

"Suddenly you're thinking, 'What do I do now?' She's hitting from both the flanks and she's hitting really well," said the Mumbai-born Mirza. "She was all over the place.

"I told her in the locker room, 'If you play like this you're going to be number one in the world.'
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US OPEN : mixed doubles - Sania Mirza and Mahesh Bhupathi part ways

Sania Mirza and Mahesh Bhupathi will be playing with different partners in the mixed doubles event of the ongoing US Open tennis championships

The Australian Open mixed doubles champions reached the decision due to uncertainity over Sania's participation in the event because of her troubled wrist, which was operated upon last year.

Sania's father Imran Mirza told IANS that her wrist was troubling her again and she wanted to wait till she was sure of playing in the mixed doubles.

'Sania's wrist has been hurting on and off over the last few weeks and she was not sure whether she would play the mixed doubles event. She wanted to decide at the last moment after gauging the condition of her injury,' the elder Mirza said Thursday.

'Under the circumstances, we thought it would not be fair on Mahesh as he could end up missing out on the event if Sania was forced to back out at the last moment. Hence, it was mutually decided that he would finalise another partner for himself and in case Sania decided to play at the last moment, she would try to find someone who was still available.'

Bhupathi, who has seven Grand Slam mixed doubles titles, has paired up with the experienced American Liezel Huber and they have received top billing. The pair will open against American Vania King and Marcelo Melo of Brazil.

Sania has entered the event with 37-year old doubles specialist Daniel Nestor from Canada and the duo are are in the same half as Bhupathi-Huber. Sania and Nestor will meet Akgul Amanmuradova of Uzbekistan and Australian Ashley Fisher in the first round.

Sania's wrist injury had kept her out of action for the most part of 2008 that saw her career ranking drop from a high of 27.

The 74th-ranked Indian was blanked out of the US Open singles second round by Italian Flavia Pennetta Tuesday.Meanwhile, Leander Paes has teamed up with Cara Black of Zimbabwe and the duo are seeded second. They will play Switzerland's Patty Schnyder and South African Wesley Moodie in the first round.

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Sania mirza puffs to second round

Somdev Devvarman and Sania Mirza notched up a rare double for India at the US Open by advancing to the second round of the season's last Grand Slam with contrasting opening wins at the Flushing Meadows. While Sania opened with a roller-coaster 6-2, 3-6, 6-3 win over Olga Govortsova of Belarus in women's singles, qualifier Somdev got the better of Portugal's Frederico Gil 6-3, 6-4, 6-3 in the men's competition. The 162nd-ranked Somdev will take on German 23rd seed Philipp Kohlschreiber, who defeated Italy's Andreas Seppi 6-0, 6-4, 6-4 in the second round.
Also read: Sania Mirza enters second round at US Open | Somdev storms into second round at US Open
The 74th-ranked Sania also has a tough match at hand against old nemesis Italian 10th seed Flavia Pennetta.
"I'm really happy we have two players in the second round of a Grand Slam. Things are looking up," Sania said after her win.
Somdev, meanwhile, said the scoreline might show a straight-set win but he had to toil hard on the court.
"I really dug in there, didn't get tight. I competed well. That's what gets you through those tough ones - the way you compete," he said.
Somdev played a solid service game in the contest which lasted more than two hours, breaking his rival seven times.
"I don't want to jinx myself but I feel good about where I am. I've had a couple of quality wins. It gives me a lot of confidence and belief that I can come out and compete with anyone. My game is up there with the rest," he said.
Sania, on the other hand, had to fight it out harder but was helped by her opponent's weak serve and unforced errors.
The Indian ace broke her rival seven times and served marginally better to come through in the match that lasted close to two hours.
"The toughest thing is to get that first win under your belt. Under the circumstances I'm just happy I can come through that match and get off to a good start. To me it has already been successful," she said.
On her nagging wrist problem, Sania said the injury that threatened her career at one point is finally healing.
"I'm happy with the way I'm playing. Physically I've never been fitter in terms of the way I'm moving on the court and playing in matches.
"I came up with the big shot that I needed to have. I have that big weapon when I need to use it," the 24-year-old said.
The recently-engaged star said she was ready for a grand comeback after spending a lot of time on the sidelines due to injuries.
"I'm at that stage where I'm ready to go up again and go into the new year with confidence. The major wrist problem is finally gone. It's about trying to stay as injury-free as possible," she said.
"You don't realise how much you miss playing tennis until you think you might not be able to play again. That made me really grow as a person. I appreciate it more being on a tennis court now," she added.

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US Open : Olga Govortsova - Sania's first hurdle

Struggling to advance beyond second rounds of Grand Slam events all season, Sania Mirza opens her US Open campaign against world number 64 Olga Govortsova of Belarus as the last tennis Major of the year begins on Monday.

The one-to-one record between the world number 71 Sania and her Belarussian rival is tied 1-1.

Sania had beaten Govortsova in a qualifying event in 2007 and the Belarussian settled the score with a win in Doha next year.

If Sania clears the first hurdle, she may run into 10th seed Italian Flavia Pennetta in the second round.

Sania has not done well in the singles events of the Grand Slams this year, reaching the second rounds of the Australian Open and Wimbledon and falling at the very first hurdle in the French Open.

Although she has tasted some success in the doubles events, becoming the first ever female player of the country to win the mixed doubles title of the Australian Open along with compatriot Mahesh Bhupathi.

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Sania's US Open campaign: Will wrist injury heal ?

The wrist injury that kept Sania Mirza out of action almost half the season last year has flared up once again just a few days before the U S Open but the tennis ace is hoping that it will "hold up" during the year's last Grand Slam.

Although Sania is sure to play in singles and doubles events of the US Open, she may skip the mixed doubles event but a final call will be taken only during the event.

The pain has recurred at a time when Sania had a chance to wipe off the disappointment of not doing well in the singles competitions of the Grand Slams this year.

After getting engaged to childhood friend Sohrab Mirza, Sania began her hard-court season preparations by winning the Lexington ITF Challenger event in July.

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Sania's free fall continues

Sania Mirza's free fall continued with the Indian tennis ace sliding seven places to 70th in the latest WTA rankings issued on Monday.

Sania, who had to concede her opening round game in the Beijing olympics owing to her wrist injury, has 470 points to her credit in the rankings headed by Serbian Ana Ivanovic.

The Hyderabadi had a her career-high 27th exactly a year ago but a string of poor shows and a recurring wrist injury saw her sliding down in the rankings.

She is also not participating in the fourth and last Grand Slam of the year -- US Open -- because of the nagging injury.

Sania to miss us open; Sania disappointed

Sania Mirza will miss the U.S. Open that gets underway on August 25 in Flushing Meadows, according to her father Imran Mirza.

In a statement released here on Thursday, Imran Mirza said that the Indian ace, who struggled to come to terms with her game since undergoing a wrist surgery to repair a torn capsule, had been advised complete rest for an initial period of three weeks by her doctor after undergoing intensive tests.

“The injury had forced her to retire in her first round singles match in the Beijing Olympics,” Imran added.

Sania injured her right wrist during the Indiana Wells tournament in late March, necessitating a surgery in Miami in April.

“I’ve always done well at the U.S. Open and it is very disappointing for me to miss a Grand Slam on my favourite surface due to my wrist injury,” Sania said.