Sania to star in Videocon tennis tourney

Siliguri, Nov. 17 (PTI): Sania Mirza will be the chief attraction at the Videocon Invitation Challenge Tennis Tournament starting here tomorrow at the Siliguri indoor stadium.

Besides competing with the likes of Rushmi Chakravarthy, world no. 66 Sania will also play a friendly tie with men's doubles Grand Slam champions Mahesh Bhupathi in the event which is organised by the Siliguri Municipal Corporation.

The mayor of SMC, Bikash Ghosh, said that the tournament would be played on a special green sheet made of quality timbre used recently in the Sunfeast Open in Kolkata.

Altogether 11 singles and three doubles matches will be played, Ghosh said.

Tickets for the tournament had all been sold out, the Mayor said.

Sania hopes for a good season ahead

Hyderabad, Nov 16: Tennis star Sania Mirza hopes for a good and eventful new season, starting with the Asian Hopman Cup beginning here next week.

"I'm looking forward for a good performance in the Asian Hopman Cup and Doha Asian Games," Sania said in a brief chat after a promotional programme.

Sania, who celebrated her birthday yesterday, said that she had learned to develop a positive attitude and hopes to gain from it in 2007.

On celebrating her birthday quietly, Sania said, "it is a private affair and I want to make it a family affair." Sania, who recently returned from a pilgrimage, said that she experienced a new-found happiness after her visit to Mecca.

Earlier, Sania congratulated Jayant Jaisoorya, who won the "Sprite Super Slam" online tennis game.

Sania turns 20 today

SANIA Mirza, India’s tennis sensation turned 20 today.

On the occasion of Children’s day on Tuesday, Prime Minister Manmohan Singh, cited her name alongside cricketing maestro Sachin Tendulkar as perfect role models for the budding generation.

‘Sania Mirza, who was a little girl like you, dreamed of becoming one of the world`s best tennis players. With hard work, she achieved that. We feel great pride in Sachin Tendulkar also. And I hope that from among you, many more Sania Mirzas and Sachin Tendulkars will emerge,’ said Singh as he awarded 29 young achievers from across India.

Born in Mumbai in 1986, Sania was ranked 435 in WTA singles ranking in June 2004. She debuted 2005 at 169 and rose to a meteoric 42 before the 2005 US Open.

Thanks to her performance in the US, Sania reached a ranking of 31, becoming the highest-ranked female tennis player ever from India.

So far, 2006 has been a slow one for the star, who has been plagued with a string of injuries apart from an inconsistent form. A surprise victory against former world number one Martina Hingis in the Korean Open, apart, Sania has had a poor run, finishing at rank 66.

For a fitter and mentally stronger Sania Mirza

CONFIDENT COMBO: Sania Mirza and Heath Mathew believe that the present training stint would produce great results.

HYDERABAD: South African trainer Heath Mathew is now in Hyderabad and is fully involved in the job of making India's best hope in women's tennis Sania Mirza a fitter and mentally stronger player.

"It is really tough out there, and very demanding. It is crazy but I am enjoying every bit of it," she said in a chat with The Hindu after yet another gruelling session.

But significantly, Heath believes that the next six months would be a crucial phase for building a strong foundation and ensuring a bright future for Sania.

Impressive attitude

"What has impressed me most is her attitude. She is willing to give more than 100 per cent during training," he remarked. Questioned whether she considered Sania fit in all aspects, the South African was diplomatic in saying: "She will be fitter and awesome after these training sessions have been completed."

For someone who will celebrate her 21st birthday on November 16, Sania was in no mood to resist the advance `gift' her father had planned for her by way of this training schedule. Sania says that right now the focus is the Hopman Cup and the Doha Asian Games.

"I am really enjoying the training with Heath and hope to get the desired results out of it," she said. "Definitely, if I had got this sort of training 14 years ago, I would have been a much better player today," Sania remarked. "I have not set any goals for myself. Let us see how things develop over the next few weeks," she said to a query.

It is obvious that the 26-year-old Heath Mathew is enjoying what he says is a big challenge — to train Sania Mirza.

"I think she is an amazing bundle of talent. For the last one year, the focus was on the finer aspects of the game and improving skills. Now the focus is on fitness as she seems to have acquired every stroke in the game," he analysed.

For the few who turned up at the Fateh Maidan tennis complex it was obvious that a much fitter and quicker Sania was in action during the practice sessions.

Complete training

Both Heath Mathew and Sania Mirza stress that the present stint will involve the whole gamut of training — covering every aspect of the game and physical conditioning. For this reason, Sania's father Imran Mirza sought the services of two young tennis players from Kolkata — Vinod Kumar Seva and Manoj Kumar Seva — to act as hitting partners for Sania till the Hopman Cup.

Sania reveals that Heath will travel with her on the circuit next year and for his part the trainer feels that the first real assessment of his training schedule will be made before the Australian Open next January.

Sania finishes year ranked 66th

New Delhi, Nov 13: Sania Mirza has moved three places to end what has been a below-par year for her as 66th ranked on the WTA charts.

The Indian tennis icon, who had begun the year with a career-best rank of 31, could not add any feathers to her hat in the year gone by apart from a couples of surprises which included a victory against former world number one Martina Hingis.

Her slump was also evident from the fact that her rating points dropped to 382, way below her last year's count.

Sania is currently preparing for the Asian Hopman Cup mixed team championship to be held in her home town of Hyderabad from November 22.

In the doubles, the Indian finished with a career-best ranking of 24 with 1070 points.

Among other Indians in the WTA singles chart, US-based Shikha Uberoi finished 206th, followed by Ankita Bhambri (42.50) at 418.

Sania two rungs down to 69th on WTA rankings

After a week of stability, Sania Mirza again plummated two rungs on the rankings ladder to be placed 69th on the latest WTA Tour chart.
The Indian tennis sensation, who was out of action for around a month, has 382 singles points.

Sania, who last played in the Bangkok Open where she lost in the singles first round, has resumed her practice last week ahead of the six-nation Hopman Cup to be staged in her home town of Hyderabad, where she will play along side Leander Pace in the mixed doubles.

Sania, who had confessed during the recent Sunfeast Open in Kolkata that fitness was not her forte, has said she was perfectly fit to play any number of tournaments now.

Sania Mirza speaks during a news conference for the Asian Hopman Cup 2006

Sania Mirza speaks during a news conference for the Asian Hopman Cup 2006 tennis tournament in the southern Indian city of Hyderabad November 4, 2006. The tournament will be played in Hyderabad from November 22 to 26.

Sania Mirza walks after a news conference for the Asian Hopman Cup 2006

Sania Mirza walks after a news conference for the Asian Hopman Cup 2006 tennis tournament in the southern Indian city of Hyderabad November 4, 2006. The tournament will be played in Hyderabad from November 22 to 26

Sania ready for tough challenge

Hyderabad: Sania Mirza and Leander Paes will pair up for the six-nation $ 70,000 Asian Hopman Cup to be held here from November 22-26.

Sania said it was ‘exciting’ to be a part of the Indian team alongside Paes but she was prepared for a tough competition at home turf.

“It’s good that the event is happening in India, more so in Hyderabad. Although we will have the support of the home crowd, it will be a tough competition and we will try to give our best.”

About her partnership with Paes, she said, “We haven’t really talked about it. A couple of days practice before the session would do a lot good.”

China, Japan, Chinese Taipei, Thailand, Uzbekistan besides hosts India will take part in the tournament.

“China and Chinese Taipei have very good players and it’s not going to be easy. The lowest ranked players will be somewhere between 75 and 80,” she said.

Putting her not-so-eventful year behind her, Sania said she had no fitness problems and was ready to play any number of tournaments.

“I have no fitness problems. It (fitness) is pretty good despite my busy schedule last year.

Sania said: “My trainer, Heath Mathew, will be arriving soon from South Africa and we will plan the future. But, as of now, I have no fitness problems.”

Sania-Paes to play in Asian Hopman Cup

Indian tennis superstars Sania Mirza and Leander Paes will pair up for the six-nation USD 70,000 Asian Hopman Cup to be held here from November 22-26.

Sania said it was "exciting" to be a part of the Indian team alongside Paes but she was prepared for a tough competition at home turf.

"It's good that the event is happening in India, more so in Hyderabad. Although we have the support of the home crowd, it would be tough competition and we will try to give our best."

About her partnership with Paes, she said "it all depends on the schedule and we really did not talk about it. A couple of days' practice before the session would do a lot good."

China, Japan, Chinese Taipei, Thailand, Uzbekistan besides hosts India would take part in the tournament which has a man and a woman player from each country and play two singles and one doubles match.

"China and Chinese Taipei have very good players and its not going to be a very easy tournament. The lowest rank of the players could be somewhere between 75 and 80," she said.

The winner would get USD 20,000 and runners up would pocket USD 12,000 while victory of Indian team shall place it at par with seven best nations in tennis in the main event to be held at Perth in Australia in January 2007.

I've no fitness problems: Sania

Putting behind her not-so-eventful year, tennis sensation Sania Mirza today said she had no fitness problems and was ready to play any number of tournaments.

"I have no fitness problems. It (fitness) is pretty good despite my busy schedule last year," Sania, who last played in Bangkok, told reporters here.

During the Sunfeast Open WTA Tour event in Kolkata, Sania had said fitness was not her forte.

Sania said her trainer Heath Mathew would arrive soon from South Africa and things may change for good, hopes the from city.

"My trainer Heath Mathew would be arriving soon from South Africa and we will plan future things but as of now, I have no fitness problems," she said.

Sania, country's sole WTA title winner, agreed the year gone by was a "disappointment" for her but said she had started practicing from last three days back and would soon catch up with the Tour events.

"Yes, maybe I did not win any titles during the past year but we cannot expect to win tournaments every year. One year I am up and the other I am not."

Sania 67th on WTA charts

Sania Mirza, out of action for last couple of weeks, remained steady at 67th place on the latest WTA charts.

The Indian tennis sensation last played a Tour event in Bangkok Open, where she bowed out against Meghann Shaughnessy of America in the first round.

In the doubles, however, Sania gained one place to be 25th.

Shikha Uberoi is the highest-ranked Indian after Sania in both singles and doubles rankings, but the US-born is distantly placed beyond 100th position in the two categories.

Among the men, Leander Paes once again returned to the top-10 of the doubles rankings, advancing one spot to 10th on the ATP Tour this week.

However, his estranged partner Mahesh Bhupathi was languishing at 31st position without any loss or gain.

sania in new york in sep 2006

Hema Malini replaces Sania in gold ad

The Dream Girl is back and even in 2006, Hema Malini is all sparkle, quite literally.

The veteran actress has now replaced tennis star Sania Mirza as the brand ambassador of a leading jewellery firm.

"She (Sania Mirza) was taken in because we wanted to make inroads into youth. Now we are looking at a larger segment. We are looking at the entire country and middle-aged women, housewives. So we decided to associate ourselves with Hema Malini," said Kalyan, Marketing Manager, Malabar Gold.

On being how she feels being the new icon of beautiful jewellery Hema Malini says: "I feel very young."

Malayalam cinema superstar Mohanlal, who was Sania's counterpart, will now be Hema Malini's co-brand ambassador.

"Now that we have got a wonderful person, Hema Maliniji as our brand ambassador, I think this will work wonders for them," said Mohanlal.

The Company expects to do well riding on the Hema magic and may well prove that old is truly gold.

Sania slips to 68th in WTA rankings

New Delhi: Sania Mirza's dip in the rankings continued with the Indian tennis sensation lying 68th on the latest WTA charts.

Sania slipped seven places from her last week's 61st place following her first round loss to Meghann Shaughnessy of USA in Bangkok Open last week.

The American, however, has leaped to 37th from her previous 43rd rank.

The Hyderabadi, who now has 382 singles ranking points from at least two dozens of WTA tours in last couple of years, also saw downslide in her doubles rankings. She slipped one place to 27th.

Shikha Uberoi, who is next top Indian at 210th in singles, follows Sania in the doubles as well at 128th spot.

Meanwhile the top-10 list led by Amelie Mauresmo of France remains unaltered for the week.

Sania signs autographs (Pic)

Sania Mirza signs autographs for her fans (pic)

Indian tennis player Sania Mirza (L) signs autographs for her fans in the northern Indian city of Amritsar October 7, 2006.

No problem with Sania's game: Vijay Amritraj

New Delhi, Oct. 11 (PTI): The inconsistent Sania Mirza today got a pat on the back from former tennis ace Vijay Amritraj, who said there was nothing missing from the teenager's game and her progress should not be judged on a weekly basis.

"I see nothing wrong with Sania's game. She had done remarkably well over the last two-three years," the former Davis Cup captain said here.

However, Amritraj said that the Hyderabadi needed to improve her consistency at the highest level of the game.

Sania has had some good results in the last few weeks, but her wins over higher ranked opponents, notably former world number one Martina Hingis in Korea, have been usually followed by reversals against players ranked below her.

"Everyone strives to be more and more consistent but very few manage that," Amritraj, who reached a career-high ranking of 13, said.

"One should judge her over a whole season. As a rule, if she has five or six good weeks in a season, she can maintain her ranking."

But he pointed out that it was more important to do well in bigger events such as the Grand Slams, Masters Series and Tier I events, as they carried more ranking points.

He mentioned that world number one Roger Federer was an exceptional case.

"Federer is just playing on a different planet because he never lets his physical capabilities drop.

"No one questions other top players like Rafael Nadal or Andy Roddick if their performances fluctuate, because they know that it is very tough. But Federer is head and shoulders above everyone else," Amritraj said

Sania hits...

Sania Mirza hits a return during the Korea Open quarter-final in September. The PTT Bangkok Open got underway with Meghann Shaughnessy beating Mirza 6-4, 6-4.

Error-prone Sania bows out against Shaughnessy

Sania Mirza's error-strewn serves resulted in her ouster at the first hurdle in the WTA Bangkok Open here today.

The Indian lost 4-6, 4-6 against sixth seeded Meghann Shaughnessy of America in an hour and 21 minutes in the rain-interrupted first round of the prize money USD 200,000 tournament.

Sania, who slipped to 61st in the latest WTA rankings, double-faulted seven times and committed repeated unforced errors on her backhand.

Shaughnessy, now ranked 43rd, has secured two WTA titles this year. Her career best was in 2001 when she rose to 11th in the rankings.

Some of the first round matches had to be suspended due to rains.

Dhoni, Sania to campaign for NCC's promotion

Cricketer Mahender Singh Dhoni and tennis sensation Sania Mirza will soon be seen promoting National Cadet Corps in the country.

"The NCC is looking out for role models like Dhoni and Sania to promote the organisation," NCC Additional Director General Maj Gen R K Karwal told reporters on the sidelines of naval NCC cadets training camp at Sukhna lake here.

"Talks are in process with the two sportspersons and the NCC is hopeful to get favourable response from them soon," he said.

He said the NCC would increase its strength from present 13 lakh cadets to 15 lakhs in the next five years.

"The NCC is contemplating to further increase the strength of its cadets to 20 lakhs," he said adding that at present the directorates with shortfall in cadet strength were being examined.

The NCC was also in touch with the authorities to increase the subscribed seats of "C" certificate holders in institutions like Indian Military Academy (IMA) and Officers Training Academy (OTA).

"The Government had sanctioned to increase the subscribed seats of NCC cadets from 64 to 80 in IMA and from 100 to 120 in OTA," he said.

Sania slips six places in world ranking

The quarter-final loss to lower ranked Olga Poutchkova of Russia at the Tashkent Open brought another plunge in Sania Mirza's ranking as the ace Indian tennis star dropped six places to be 61st on the latest WTA world rankings released on Monday.

Sania, who had registered a slight improvement in her ranking to be at the 55th spot after beating World No 8 Martina Hingis, went down to Olga 6-4, 4-6, 6-0 to crash out of the Tashkent tournament last week.

Now, Sania, with 397 points, is ranked below the Russian, who jumped from 58th to the 46th spot.

However, the top seeded Indian woman player has maintained her doubles ranking by remaining steady at 26th for the third consecutive week.

Among other Indian women, Shikha Uberoi (219 to 213) Ankita Bhambri (363 to 361), Isha Lakhani (389 to 385) climbed up the ranking ladder while Rushmi Chakravarthi (456 to 457) slipped one place.

In men's doubles rankings, Leander Paes has maintained his No 10 position while Mahesh Bhupathi has slid two places to be at 26th spot.

Sania crashes out of Taskhent Open

India's Sania Mirza crashed out of the Taskhent Open after she lost to Olga Poutchkova of Russia 4-6, 6-4, 0-6 in the quarterfinals Friday.

It was another inconsistent performance by the Indian, who later said, she could not adjust to the conditions.

"Sometimes you don't get used to the conditions and then you don't win," said Sania, rather disappointedly.

"The balls were flying, I just didn't get to feel the ball on my racquet.

"There were some 20-25 times in the match when I wanted to go for a winner but I didn't have the confidence to go for it, I just kept pushing the ball back," she added.

After losing the first set hitting wide with an inside-out backhand at set point, Sania slumped to a 0-4 deficit in the second. Poutchkova, semi-finalist at the recent Sunfeast Open in Kolkata, then double-faulted three times to drop serve in the next game.

That triggered a Sania revival for a while and she won the next five games to take the set. During the six-game winning streak, she seemed to have regained some confidence and the winners flowed from her racquet.

The Russian won key points in the early games of the third set. Sania down 15-40 after a double fault, rallied to deuce in the second game, but could not hold her serve.

The 19-year-old Indian finally lost hope of winning, as she was down 0-40 in the fourth game. She was again broken and went 4-0 down in the set.

Sania storms into quaterfinals of Tashkent Open

Sania Mirza overcame a stiff challenge from Hana Sromova of the Czech Republic to win her second round match 6-4, 7-5 and stormed into the quarterfinals of the Tashkent Open here today.

The third seeded Indian, who had an easy outing in the first round yesterday, was not at her elements today and made many unforced errors against the unheralded rival.

After some initial jitters, Sania seemed to have the game under her control when she served for the first set 5-2 up. But, she lost that game after five deuces, wasting two set points.

But, the Hyderabadi who turns 20 next month, made no mistake when serving for the set the second time around.

Sania' inconsistency continued to plague her in the second set and after an early break, she found herself 2-5 down and Sromova had three set points before being broken in the eighth game.

That brought Sania back in the second set and the forehand winners flowed a bit more easily as she won the last five games for the match which was delayed for more than two hours due to rain.

The world number 55 Indian will now meet six seed Olga Poutchkova of Russia tomorrow.

"I'm just happy to go through. I started playing better in the second set but I was lucky," Sania said later.

"She (Sromova) had so many set points. It could have gone either way."

Asked about her quarter-final match against Poutchkova, Sania said, "It's going to be a good match. She's one of the players I've known longest, five-six years and we play a similar kind of game."

The two have never met before in a Tour match.

This will be Sania's third straight quarter-final appearance, after her semi-final showing at Sunfeast Open in Kolkata and the quarter-finals in Korea Open where she lost to Virgina Pascual of Spain after shocking former world number one Martina Hingis of Switzerland.

Hopman Cup: Sania-Paes to lead India

The Hopman Cup mixed team tennis tournament is expanding into Asia with the introduction of the inaugural Asian Hopman Cup, to be held in Hyderabad, India.

The event will take place in the week beginning November 20 with the winning nation crowned Asian champions and rewarded with direct entry into the Hopman Cup proper in Perth in late December as the eighth team.

India will play host for the next three years. "In this first year we are working towards inviting the top six countries based on the leading male and female rankings," said Asian Tennis Federation president Anil Khanna.

This is expected to include nations such as Thailand and China. Host nation India will be represented by Sania Mirza and doubles great Leander Paes.

"As the winner will have the honour of competing in the Hopman Cup in Perth, this tournament is likely to showcase most of Asia's burgeoning talent," said Hopman Cup Tournament Director Paul McNamee.

"The birth of the Asian Hopman Cup is a major step in the evolution of the event." The United States is the defending Hopman Cup champion.

Sania has an easy first round at Tashkent

Sania Mirza needed just 48 minutes to ease past France's Pauline Parmentier into the second round of the Tashkent Open women's tennis event in Tashkent on Wednesday.

World No. 55 Sania defeated the 206-ranked Parmentier 6-3, 6-1 to win the first round match in convincing fashion.

"It's good to have an easy first round," said the 19-year old Hyderabadi lass, seeded third here.

"I don't have it too often. I still have to get used to these courts, they are very different from Seoul (where she reached the quarterfinals last week)."

Sania got to a quick start, breaking Parmentier twice in the first set and going 3-0 up in a flash. There was a brief stutter then as she dropped her serve.

Parmentier, however, could not do much more as the Indian broke her French rival again in the ninth game to take the set.

In the second set, Sania effected an early break to go 2-0 up.

Parmentier had another chance to come back into the match when she had Sania 0-40 in the next game but she couldn't force the break.

Sania then won 16 of the last 18 points of the match, 10 of them in a row, to canter to victory.

Sania next plays Hana Sromova of the Czech Republic. It will be their first meeting on the WTA Tour.

Sania moves up 4 places in ranking

The second-round win over world No 8 Martina Hingis at Korea Open last week helped Sania Mirza go up by four places to be at 55th spot on the latest WTA world rankings released on Monday.

Sania, who defeated Hingis 4-6 6-0 6-4 in a tough battle at Seoul, was at the 59th spot the previous week and the big win over the Swiss boosted the Hyderabadi to 428 points for the promotion.

Sania, who had a major slip in the rankings this year due to a string of forgettable performances, has the chance to regain her top ranking of World No 31. Interestingly, Sania held her career best ranking during October last year.

In the doubles rankings, the Indian ace has maintained her 26th place, which she achieved along with South African Liezel Huber after her Sunfeast Open win in Kolkata.

Among other Indian women on the WTA Tour, Shikha Uberoi (232 to 219), Ankita Bhambri (369 to 363) and Isha Lakhani (391 to 389) have registered rise in their rankings while Rushmi Chakravarthi (454 to 456) suffered a minor slide.

Sania ties up with SA trainer Mattews

Sania Mirza will work with South African fitness trainer Heath Mattews in the 2007 season in a bid to take her performance and ranking to another level.

Mattews will arrive in Hyderabad for a pre-season session with Sania in early November and the duo will spend a fortnight prior to the Hopman Cup (Asian edition) working almost exclusively on fitness, Imran, Sania's father, told the TOI.

Mattews, who has travelled extensively on the ATP circuit last season, and has worked with South African Wesley Moodie and India's doubles ace Mahesh Bhupathi, will travel with Sania, starting January 2007.

Sania, presently ranked 55th in the world, is playing at Tashkent this week and will also play in Bangkok next week, before returning home. Besides the Tour events, which might also include a tournament in Belgium later this month, Sania will play the Hopman Cup and the Doha Asian Games in December. She'll take a short break from the Tour in December to recharge her batteries for the coming season.

Imran, who doubles up as Sania's coach, added that he was on the look out for a top-notch coach for his daughter. The Hyderabad-based pro, who has had victories over players like Martina Hingis (ranked 9), Katarina Srebotnik (21) and Karolina Sprem (formerly ranked No.11) in the last couple of months, working with coaches Asif Ismail, S Narendranath and her father, will continue to get inputs from all quarters as her management team stay on the hunt for an ideal coaching partnership.

Sania, who has reached a career-high doubles ranking of 26, will not be playing any more doubles on the Tour this season and will focus on singles. She will, perforce, return to doubles play when she turns out for India in the Hopman Cup and the Doha Asian Games.

Sania seeded third at Tashkent Open

Tashkent:Sania Mirza of India has been seeded third at the Tashkent Open tennis tournament, which starts Monday.

Italian Maria Elena Camerin is the top seed and Elena Vesnina of Russia is seeded second, as announced here after the draw Saturday.

Sania, currently ranked 59 in the world singles ranking, will face Pauline Parmentier of France in the first round.

Sania comes to Tashkent after a quarterfinal finish at the Korean Open in Seoul, losing to Spaniard Virginia Ruana Pascual, after having beaten Martina Hingis in the previous round.

Sania Mirza of India returns a shot to Spain's Virginia Ruano-Pascual (pic)

Sania Mirza of India returns a shot to Spain's Virginia Ruano-Pascual during their quarterfinal match of the Korea Open tennis tournament at Olympics Park in Seoul, South Korea, Friday, Sept. 29, 2006. Ruano Pascual won the match 7-6, 6-4, 7-6.

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.

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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.