Can Sania power herself back to top rankings? (pic)

Sania may drop out of top 100

Sania Mirza is on the verge of dropping out of top-100 as she lost seven places to be 98th in the latest WTA rankings.

Red hot Sania (pics)

Golden Sania....

An old collection :)

WTA rankings:Sania moves up

Saina Mirza jumped one place in the WTA singles ranking, while ace doubles player Mahesh Bhupathi has dropped a rung in the ATP doubles ranking issued today.
Sania, who is recuperating from a wrist injury occupies the 91st position with 380 points. She also managed to hold on to her 44th spot in the doubles chart.

Sania Mirza on the cover of Cosmopolitan (pic)

Sania Mirza to feature on the cover of Cosmopolitan

Sania's great fall continues ....

Out of action Sania Mirza today slipped one more rung to be 92nd in the latest WTA singles rankings chart though she maintained the 44th place in the doubles.
Sania, recuperating from a wrist injury, has 380 points in singles while 949 in the doubles.

Sania Mirza smiling :) photo

An old pic :

Sania Mirza, Indian Tennis star Camping at Bhupathy Village in Bangalore

Connors, advised Sania to focus on winning tennis matches only

Tennis icon Jimmy Connors, advised Sania Mirza to focus on winning tennis matches, assuring her that other things would fall in place.

“A player should only think of winning and other things will follow automatically. Once a player begins focusing on things other than tennis, success becomes difficult,” Connors said.

“In my life, I just thought of winning and the rest followed,” he said, adding that he had seen Sania play and was sure she would regroup in world rankings.

Shahid dumped Sania

Shahid has apparently distanced himself from ‘good friend’ and tennis sensation Sania Mirza. It is also believed that Shahid always found Priyanka attractive even while he was dating Kareena Kapoor. Though the two of have never starred opposite each other before, they did shot a steamy photo shoot, when both were fairly new. 

Shahid is evidently vulnerable since he broke off with his ex-sweetheart Bebo and it is alleged that Priyanka’s relationship with Harman is on the rocks and headed towards splitsville. 

Another source close to Shahid told a news daily that the actor is no longer an item with Sania Mirza. "Shahid and Priyanka have been getting close ever since Shahid distanced himself from Sania a month ago." Both PC and Shahid are professional, and hassle-free. When they met, they clicked instantly. “ 

Inside reports suggest Priyanka and Shahid got along like a house on fire and are already spending hours just chatting with each other and have the whole unit talking about them. 

If this wasn’t all, the two have also been spotted going out for dinners and movies. Coincidently, the ‘good friends’ stay in the same apartment complex, at Versova, and have also been spotted traveling together to shoots. Oops… it seems the two have been sharing a lot more than filmi gossips. Only time will tell whether this friendship will develop into something more.

Sania's fall continues;drops to 91 in rankings

Sania Mirza’s continued absence from the court took a heavy toll on her singles ranking as she slid to as low as 91 in the latest WTA charts issued on Monday.

Sania, who skipped the U.S. Open, dropped 21 places in one week with 380 points and runs the risk of moving out of top-100 for the first time since 2004.

Sania has been forced to miss the entire clay court season including the French Open and then left her singles Olympics campaign mid-way due to the niggling wrist injury.

She also lost seven positions in her doubles ranking, dropping to 44 with 949 points. 

Sania @ fashion show pics

Yuvi & Sania together

Yuvraj Singh (L) and tennis player Sania Mirza pose for a picture during the launch ceremony of an international menswear manufacturing company in Mumbai August 30, 2008.

Sania with yuvraj

India's cricket player Yuvraj Singh (L) and tennis player Sania Mirza pose for a picture during the launch ceremony of an international menswear manufacturing company in Mumbai August 30, 2008

Sania @ fashion show

Sania Mirza poses for a picture during the launch ceremony of an international menswear manufacturing company in Mumbai August 30, 2008

Sania Mirza vows to return fitter

Indian tennis star Sania Mirza is confident of getting over her current injury crisis and bouncing back into the top 50 soon with the help of a new trainer.

Mirza, 21, slipped from a career high of 27 in August last year to 70 in the latest WTA rankings after an injury-plagued season in 2008.

"It is naturally very frustrating for her to miss tournaments," Mirza's father, Imran Mirza, told AFP from the family base in Hyderabad on Friday.

"But she understands injuries are a tennis player's professional hazard and part and parcel of a sportsman's career.

"She is very positive and looking forward to bouncing back soon," he said.

Mirza injured her right wrist during the Indian Wells tournament in March and had to have surgery a month later.

She pulled out of the French Open in May-June, lost in the second round at Wimbledon and crashed out in the first round at the Beijing Olympics.

Mirza, who also withdrew from the ongoing US Open, has signed up trainer Amir Takla, a consultant with Tennis Australia.

"Takla is scheduled to arrive this weekend and will work with Sania for a period of six weeks," Imran said.

"The goal is to ensure her wrist recovers to its original strength, but at the same time the focus will also be towards optimising her overall physical fitness."

Imran refused to set a date for her return to the circuit, saying it was too early to predict.

"It is difficult to fix a timeframe for being back in competition even before work towards her rehabilitation has begun," he said.

"But we are looking at Sania playing a few tournaments later in the year to prepare for next year's Australian Open."

He also downplayed concerns over Mirza's spiralling rankings.

"When one is forced to skip Grand Slams and other compulsory tournaments... one has to expect that the ranking will come down because these are based on performances in these tournaments.

"But once the injury has been taken care of, the rankings will fall into place in due course of time. Sania is confident that after she finds her rhythm in a few months, she will be back where she belongs."

Sania signs up with Aussie physical trainer

Sania Mirza, the injured Indian tennis star, whose painful wrist condition consigned her to the sidelines for the better of the summer of 2008, has tied up with reputed trainer Amir Takla in a bid to bounce back into competitive mode.

The Hyderabadi will initially work with the heavyweight Aussie for a six-week period, starting September 2. Sania injured her right wrist during the Indian Wells tournament in late March, necessitating surgery in Miami in April.

The 21-year-old, who reached a career-high ranking of 27 in August 2007, missed the French Open and though she played the grasscourt season, struggled with her game for most part.

Sania then went on to play tournaments in Stanford, Los Angeles and Stockholm before her painful wrist condition forced her out of the first round singles match at the Beijing Olympics. She later pulled out of the US Open. She has since been advised three weeks of rest.

"I am determined to sort out this niggling problem once and for all," Sania told TOI. "I'm a positive person and I feel confident of a speedy recovery under the guidance of Amir, whose knowledge and experience is unquestionable."

Takla, a musculoskeletal and sport physiotherapist, is consultant to Tennis Australia and the Grand Slam of the Asia Pacific - the Australian Open. He specialises in strength training and injury prevention and management.

Sania first ran into the Aussie at the Australian Open earlier in the year, when he treated her after she tore her adductor muscle en route to the mixed doubles final. He was largely responsible in getting her back on her feet to play the final.

Sania's father Imran, said: "The main aim is to strengthen the wrist, and bring it to its earlier condition and level of performance. The rest of her body also needs to be strengthened. We are looking at Sania playing a few tournaments later in the year to prepare for the Australian Open."

The break from competition should give the Indian a chance to work on her overall fitness. Should she regain the control and strength on her forehand, which was the reason she went under the knife earlier in the year, she will forge a new threat in the coming season.

CNN interview - sania

Sania spoke exclusively to CNN-IBN’s sports editor Gaurav Kalra about her road to recovery and many more.

Here are the excerpts from the interview:

Sania: Few tests are done. It is heeling and it will take few more weeks. It is making progress, it stops hurting but as soon as I start playing it again starts hurting. There is a different problem to what it was when I had a surgery. It was a bit disappointing that it really took off at the Olympic but this is sports I guess.

Gaurav Kalra: Yes Sania, it has been one of those years, you haven’t had a chance to play much and as soon as you have gone to the court there have been injury concerns. Has it been very frustrating to have gone through 2008 and experienced all of this?

Sania: Yes, of course and especially when you are probably playing the best tennis of your life arguably and you have the potential to may be have the best year of your life and then you are walked down by injuries, of course it is very frustrating. But, I guess as an athlete you know, you have learnt that you have to deal with these things and it is going to be a part of our lives. We keep playing after putting ourselves through so much every day, physically and mentally but yes it is frustrating to be watching sitting out of grand slams and having to have retired the Olympic.

Gaurav Kalra: What do you make up these? Abhinav's performance at the Olympic, winning a gold medal for the first time an individual gold medal for an Indian and then the boxers and wrestlers, they all making us proud?

Sania: Yes, I think it has been probably arguably our best Olympics ever. We had a gold, two bronzes and in sports we probably least expected something. May be in shooting we did expect but these people have just prove to everyone of us here that if they can do it anyone can and I think it is a new sense of inspiration for lot many people who may have just started to think of taking up boxing as their career or taking up shooting or wrestling for that matter. I would personally like to congratulate Abhinav Bindra, Sushil Kumar and Vijender Kumar for what they have done. They have shown us the new light and it inspired me and I am sure it has inspired the whole of India as well.

Gaurav Kalra: What do you make up this? Nadal vs Federer, the first one is the big tennis rivalry that everyone is talking about. We got a sense from the viewers listerning to you that you kind of preferred Roger Federer over Rafael Nadal?

Sania: I think Roger doesn’t matter if he is number 2 in the world today, it does not matter if he becomes 100 in the world, he is still going to be Roger Federer, he has been Roger Federer. I am very bias so I am going to say Roger Federer will win.

Gaurav Kalra: Look at the records Sania.

Sania: He (Federer) is a genius and like you said he surprised everyone in the Olympic by winning the doubles gold so you don’t know he might again come up and win it again but on a serious note Rafa is playing really well and probably he is playing the best he has ever played and yes it is going to be really hard for Roger to beat him but at the end of the day he is the King.

Sanias interview : video

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.

Sania mirza may appear in big boss 2 reality show

After the premature exit of jade goody, the producers of BIGG BOSS 2 endemol and Tv Channel Colors found them self into a big fix, to win the situation over , unconfirmed reports and internal sources of endemol have pointed that, in a hurried up exercise they have created three teams to talk separately with three young hot female celebrities Sania Mirza , Yana Gupta and Super Sexy Sherlyn chopra.

Sania mirza is already out of Us Open tennis tournament , with rest advised from her doctors, she seems to be a perfect celebrity with enough oomph and mystery surrounding her personality , as there is a very little about her out in media. Sania Mirza's entry into BIGG BOSS 2 will ensure never seen TRP hikes in the History of Indian reality TV . She will guarantee the young viewers hogging the TV sets.

Now this seems to be good news for us, we could watch her for whole day :)

src: http://whatiexpect.in/2008082391/blogs/sania-mirza-yana-gupta-sherlyn-chopra-one-of-them-to-replace-jade-goody-in-bigg-boss-2.html

Sania mirza looking beautiful

is Shahid dating sania ???

There was a news item in April .. i doubt are they still dating each other or are they just friends?
read this article

The love affair between youngsters Shahid Kapur and tennis sensation Sania Mirza is still very much on… read on…

The pair were spotted at Mumbai’s Lokhandwala Complex recently. “Sania was with Shahid in his Mercedes Benz at Tarapore Gardens. The couple was enjoying each other’s company. Shahid looked dashing in a grey T-shirt, blue cap and blue jeans, while Sania was wearing a long yellow T-shirt and jeans. Just seeing them together made it clear that Shahid and Sania are definitely more than just friends,” revealed an onlooker.

Shahid then drove Sania to Ahmad Khan’s home where the two spent the afternoon listening to songs of Shahid’s forthcoming film Kismet Konnection.

Later in the day, the pair went to a five-star restaurant for some dinner and then later booked a room in a Bandra hote

WTA rankings: Sania moves up to 63rd spot

Sania Mirza has moved two slots up to 63rd position as Ana Ivanovic regains her number one singles position in the Women's Tennis Association (WTA) rankings on Monday.

Sania, who has been going through an indifferent form following surgery to her right wrist soon after the Australian Open in January, has moved from 65 to 63 from 19 Tour events. She has, however, remained at number 27 in the doubles, playing in 13 events.

Tearfil sania ...

A tearful Sania Mirza has retired from the Olympic singles tournament with a right wrist injury

Sania injured

India's Sania Mirza (seen here in July 2008) has retired from the Olympic singles tournament with a right wrist injury, shattering her "dream" to play here and dealing a blow to Indian hopes

Sania Mirza of India serves

Sania Mirza of India serves to Iveta Benesova of the Czech Republic during their women's first round tennis match at the Beijing 2008 Olympic Games August 11, 2008

Sania Mirza reacts during her women's first round tennis match

Sania Mirza of India reacts during her women's first round tennis match against Iveta Benesova of the Czech Republic at the Beijing 2008 Olympic Games August 11, 2008.

Sania Mirza fan of Aisam-ul Haq

ndia�s tennis sensation Sania Mirza has expressed willingness to play exhibition matches in Pakistan, but added that she was yet to receive a formal invitation in this regard.

Pakistan Tennis Federation (PTF) president Syed Dilawar Abbas has last month announced inviting Sania Mirza to play a couple of mixed doubles matches to promote tennis in the country. �Sania has even promised to waive off her match fee and will charge only two million rupees as appearance money,� he had stated.

She said that during her younger says she had played tennis in Pakistan and found people very friendly.

�I have yet to receive a formal invitation to play exhibition matches in Pakistan. But whenever an opportunity comes, I would visit Pakistan to play matches,� The News quoted her as saying in Beijing.

Sania said that she knew that she had got followers in Pakistan. �I know Pakistan tennis followers love my game and want to see me in action. I am ready to come to Pakistan to play exhibition matches,� she said.

She praised Pakistan tennis star Aisam-ul Haq and said that he could improve his ranking further provided he keeps on playing circuit tournaments. �He is a very good player, even better than his ranking suggests and has the ability to improve his ranking further,� she said.

Wrist injury forces Sania to pull out of US Open

After a heart-breaking Olympic debut at Beijing, Sania Mirza on Thursday pulled out of the US Open, as she is yet to recover from a nagging wrist injury.

The Hyederabadi player has been advised a three-week rest by her doctor while the fourth and last Grand Slam of the year kicks off from Monday.

“Sania Mirza has been advised complete rest for an initial period of three weeks by her consulting doctor after undergoing intensive tests,” a press statement said.

Sania, who hurt her right wrist in March and was operated upon in April, was troubled again by the injury and had to concede her opening round match in the Olympics against Iveta Benesova of Czech Republic after trailing 1-6 1-2.

Earlier, she had also skipped entire clay court season including the French Open.

India’s numero uno women’s player said she was disappointed for not being able to participate in the elite event.

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

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.

Sania Mirza, Indian Tennis star Camping at Bhupathy Village

Sania Mirza, Indian Tennis star Camping at Bhupathy Village in Bangalore

A beaming Sania at her home

A beaming Sania at her home in Hyderabad on February 4, 2008.

Sania Mirza and Rohan Bopanna sharing a lighter moment

Sania Mirza and Rohan Bopanna sharing a lighter moment at a function in Hyderabad on February 12, 2008

Sania Mirza Camping at Bhupathy Village

Sania Mirza, Indian Tennis star Camping at Bhupathy Village

Sania Mirza at the India Open Grand Prix Badminton Championship

Sania Mirza at the India Open Grand Prix Badminton Championship at Gachibowli Indoor Stadium on April 03, 2008

a new start

Hi freinds

i went to mars so i couldn't update this blog for this long period ........ sorry dears

frm no u wil get the regular updates

Abhi

French Open 2007: Sania Mirza vs Alberta Brianti

Sania Mirza will take on Italian Alberta Brianti in her opening singles match of the French Open in Paris starting Sunday.

The Indian ace, who returned to action a fortnight ago from 2-1/2 months' lay-off following a knee injury, would run into seventh seed Ana Ivanovic of Serbia if she manages to clear the first hurdle.Alberta Brianti is not a famous player but Sania lost to her once in the past. So, Sania will be keen to take revenge. They have only played once. I am just worried for the bad form in singles of Sania Mirza. I hope that she can find her rhythm in French Open 2007.

Wimbledon 2007: Sania Mirza and Mahesh Bhupathi

India's tennis sensation Sania Mirza is hoping to partner Mahesh Bhupathi in the mixed doubles event of Wimbledon as her doubles ranking is not helping her cause in the French Open, her father Irfan Mirza said today.
Sania now stands at 37 in the doubles while Bhupathi's rank is 25.

Her father told UNI that the pair may not be able to partner each other in the French Open as the combined ranking cut to get an entry in the mixed doubles category of the tournament is around 56.

Sania Mirza is now fit enough to take part in the coming French Open. However, it may take another few more weeks to get back in her prime form. I think Sania has a great potential to increase her ranking and get more success in the upcoming grand slam tournaments.

Sania, Chan falter at Istanbul final

Sania Mirza and her Taiwanese partner Yung-Jan Chan have lost in the final of the Istanbul Cup in Turkey.

The top seeds lost 1-6, 3-6 to an unseeded polish pair.

The defeat crushed Sania's hopes of back-to-back WTA doubles titles after her 4th doubles win at the Morocco Open last week.

This was Sania's last tournament before the French Open that starts Sunday.

Sania-Chan in Istanbul Cup final

Sania Mirza is eyeing her second WTA doubles tennis title in as many weeks after advancing to the final of US $200,000 Istanbul Cup in Istanbul on Friday.

The Indian ace and her new partner Yung-Jan Chan of Taipei overcame stiff resistance from Mervana Jugic-Salkic of Bosnia and Italy's Romina Oprandi before winning their semi-final match 6-7 (3/7), 6-0, 10-5.

Sania and Yung-Jan were leading 5-1 in the opening set after breaking their opponents in the first game of the match but squandered the advantage and allowed Mervana and Romina to level scores at 5-5 and win the set via the tie-breaker.

But it was a completely different story in the second set, which top seeded Sania and Yung-Jan dominated to take the match into the Super tie-breaker, which they won to clinch the match.

Sania won her fourth WTA doubles title at the Morocco Open at Fes, Morocco, partnering Vania King of the United States last week. She lost in the first round of the singles event in Istanbul to Meghann Shaughnessy

Sania to take on Alberta Brianti in French Open 1st round

Sania Mirza will take on Italian Alberta Brianti in her opening singles match of the French Open in Paris starting Sunday.

The Indian ace, who returned to action a fortnight ago from 2-1/2 months' lay-off following a knee injury, would run into seventh seed Ana Ivanovic of Serbia if she manages to clear the first hurdle.

The 20-year-old Hyderabadi girl is in the third quarter of the draw which also features Russia's Svetlana Kuznetsova as the third seed, Slovakian Daniela Hantuchova, seeded 12th, and former champion Anastasia Myskina.

Sania would be aiming to erase the memories of a heartbreaking loss to Brianti last year on the WTA Tour, the only time the duo has faced each other so far.

Since her reurn from injury layoff, Sania has been struggling with her singles form and made first round exits from the two WTA events she played after returning to court.

However, the Hyderabadi player has been in excellent doubles form, winning the Morocco Open and reaching the final of the ongoing Istanbul Cup.

Sania would be guided by reputed Spanish coach Gabriel Urpi during the Grand Slam fortnight at Roland Garros.

Urpi, a former ATP Tour player, worked with former women's singles champion Arantxa Sanchez Vicario and currently tied up with WTA players Flavia Pannetta and Virginia Ruano Pascual.

Meanwhile, the Indian fans would have to wait for a while to see Sania pair up with Mahesh Bhupathi on the Grand Slam stage.

The combined doubles ranking of the two players -- Sania is currently ranked 37th and Bhupathi 23rd -- is unlikely to get them into the main draw of the mixed doubles for which the cut-off is expected to be around 56.

Spanish coach for Sania

New Delhi: Sania Mirza has roped in reputed Spanish coach Gabriel Urpi to help in her campaign at the French Open starting on Sunday.

This is a temporary arrangement as Sania will be guided by Urpi only during the Grand Slam fortnight. Urpi, a former ATP Tour player, has worked with Arantxa Sanchez Vicario and is currently tied up with Flavia Pannetta and Virginia Ruano Pascual.

The last time Sania sought guidance from a renowned coach was from the legendary Tony Roche before the start of 2006 season.

Meanwhile, the Indian fans will have to wait for a while to see Sania pair up with Mahesh Bhupathi on the Grand Slam stage. The combined doubles ranking of the two players — Sania is currently ranked 37th and Bhupathi 23rd — is unlikely to get them into the main draw of the mixed doubles for which the cut-off is expected to be around 56.

“But they definitely hope to play together in Wimbledon,” Sania’s father Imran said.

In the doubles at Roland Garros, Sania will partner Eva Birnerova of Russia.

Eva will be the 20-year-old Indian’s third partner in as many tournaments since she returned to the courts after a two-and-half-month-long lay-off following a knee injury.

Sania's feet of clay face stern test

IT'S a fact that Sania Mirza's greatest test of the season is ahead - the clay season of the WTA Tour. While her doubles record reads an impressive 14-5 W/L, that includes being in two finals, and the recent title at Morocco, singles have been a nightmare.

If just two singles wins from eight matches is any proof of her struggle, the other interesting statistic is the fact that Sania has dropped out of the Top 50 two times during the clay season. The worrying factor is, however, the struggle she's had to regain her elite status.

While August 27, 2006 was the day when Saina dropped to 54 - a rank that took over five months to shirk off, Monday saw her drop out of the top fifty again after managing to stay put there for 111 days.

With an injury to her right knee to be blamed for the dip in her ranking over the past three months,today, on the eve of her first match at the Istanbul Open, she is ranked 52 and the question that lurks is how fast she would manage to get back among the elite.

Seeded No 8 at Istanbul, Sania has a tough opener against world No 66 Meghan Shaughnessy of the United States, who, compared to Sania has a decent record on all surfaces.

Their Round One meeting on the clay courts of Istanbul on Tuesday will be a first. At Roland Garros the American has a 8-8 W-L, which, together with Sania's injury tilts the balance in Meghan's favour.

Having earned considerable success at Istanbul last year by finishing runners-up in the doubles event with Australia's Alicia Molik, the recent Morocco WTA success would surely have boosted Sania's confidence.

Seeded top for the doubles event, Sania and partner Yung-Jan Chan (Chinese Taipei) run into Romanians Sorana Cirstea/ Agnes Szatmari.

At the moment, clay may be good for Sania's knees more than the hard courts, but one thing that she would have on her mind is to jerk the rust off, for only wins would help her back to where she was. Sania FILE Important Dates- August 8, 2005: Cracked Top-50 - reached No 48 October 10, 2005: Career-high No 31 August 27, 2006: Slipped out of Top 50 - from No 44 to 54 January 29, 2007: Cracked Top-50 again - reached No 48, Reached career-high in doubles No 23 May 21, 2007: slipped out of Top-50.

Sania loses

New Delhi: For the second week in a row since returning from knee injury, Sania Mirza failed to clear the opening round in a WTA Tour event, going down tamely to Meghann Shaughnessy in the $200,000 Istanbul Cup tennis tournament on Tuesday.

The 52nd-ranked Indian lost 4-6, 3-6 in just over one hour and 20 minutes.

Sania-Vania win doubles title

Sania Mirza won her first WTA title this year by winning the Morocco Open Doubles with American partner Vania King.

The Top seeded pair beat second seeds Romania's Andreea Ehritt-Vanc and Anastassia Rodianova of Russia 6-1, 6-2 in the doubles final.

Sania, who was out with knee injury for about three months, more than made up for her singles ouster of the Morocco Open. This was Sania's fourth career title and her first outside India.

Sania drops to No. 52

New Delhi: Sania Mirza’s Morocco Open doubles triumph saw her doubles ranking improve to No. 37 on the WTA list issued on Monday.

The first round exit in the singles event , however, made her drop one place to No. 52 on the singles list. She has 503 ranking points.

The 20-year-old, back after a two-and-a-half-month injury lay-off, teamed up with American Vania King to clinch the doubles title in Fes on Saturday. The win pushed her up four places with 1027 points.

On the men’s side, Leander Paes stayed at No. 6 on the individual doubles list with 3940 points. Mahesh Bhupathi moved up two places to 23rd with 1670 points.

In the Champions Race, Paes and his Czech partner, Martin Damm, moved down one spot to No. 3 with 345 points.

Sania-Chan through to doubles quarters in Istanbul

Top seeds Sania Mirza and her Taiwanese partner Yung-Jan Chan sailed into the quarterfinals of the $200,000 Istanbul Cup with an easy 6-3, 6-1 win over the Romanian pair of Sorana Cirstea and Agnes Szatmari in Turkey on Tuesday.

Sania and Yung-Jan will take on the Greco-German duo of Anna Polunina and Stella Menna in the last eight stage of the Tier III WTA Tour event.

The top seeds overcame a patchy start to storm past their unseeded rivals for a comfortable victory.

Sania and Yung-Jan were broken twice in the first set but more than made up for that with four breaks of their own in the opening set.

The Indo-Taiwanese combination put up an even better display in the next set and held their serve besides breaking the Romanians twice to clinch the match.

Earlier, Sania bowed out of the singles competition in the first round itself, losing to American Meghann Saughnessy.
The Indian ace, who is coming back after a 2-1/2 month-long injury layoff, was seeded eighth in the singles draw.

Sania gets top ranking in doubles event

New Delhi: Fresh from her success in the Morocco Open, Sania Mirza has been top seeded in the doubles competition of the US$ 200,000 WTA Istanbul Cup in Turkey.


The Indian ace, who clinched the Morocco doubles title with American Vania King, will be teaming up with Yung-Jan Chan of Taiwan in the event.

The 20-year-old has been seeded eighth in the singles and will take on American Meghann Shaughnessy in the first round.

In the doubles event, Sania and Yung-Jan will start their campaign against the Romanian pair of Sorana Cirstea and Agnes Szatmari.

The tier III event features some of the biggest names in the WTA circuit like US Open champion Maria Sharapova of Russia, American Venus Williams and Swiss Patty Schnyder.

Sharapova has already got a walkover to the second round.

Sania drops to 47th in WTA rankings

New Delhi, March 19: The four-week layoff due to a knee injury has seen Sania Mirza drop two spots to 47th in the latest WTA rankings today.

Sania, who is under rehabillitaion to recuperate from an anterior cruciate ligament injury, has 504 ranking points.

The Indian ace picked up the injury during the Doha Open two weeks ago.

The lay off has also led to a drop in Sania's doubles rankings and the 20-year-old has slipped five places to 31st in the list with 1074 ranking points.

Among other Indians in the singles' list, the US-based Shikha Uberoi (107.75) is the next highest placed at 240th spot, which is an improvement of two rungs.

Veteran Rushmi Chakravarthi remained steady at 394th with 46.25 points, while Ankita Bhambri (39) was up four spots to 441st this week.

Meanwhile, Belgian Justine Henin-Hardenne (3645) reclaimed the top spot in the rankings, overtaking Russia's Maria Sharapova (3564).

Sharapova's compatriot Svetlana Kuznetsova (2947) completes the top three.

In the ATP rankings, estranged partners Leander Paes and Mahesh Bhupathi held on to their 12th and 21st position respectively.

Paes, however, is expected a big jump as he along with partner Czech Republic Martin Damm claimed their second ATP title this season winning the doubles crown at the pacific life open yesterday. Damm is currently placed 10th.

Photo : Sania Mirza on a wheel chair

Sania Mirza sits on a wheel chair as she leaves a hospital in Hyderabad March 4, 2007. Sania was ruled out of action for at least four weeks on Saturday after undergoing surgery on her right knee

Sania out of action for at least a few weeks

Hyderabad, March. 2: Sania Mirza has been ruled out of action for at least a few weeks with medical reports today indicating "a possible Anterior Cruciate Ligament" injury to her right knee.

The 20-year old Indian, who sustained a hyper-extension of the knee during her first round match in the Qatar Open in Doha earlier this week, had laxity of the ACL, the doctor treating her at a local hospital said.

"The MRI scan of the knee joint indicates a possible ACL injury," Dr. Hariprasad of Apollo Hospitals here said.

"Sania was complaining of extreme pain in the knee with swelling and on examination (it was found that) she had laxity of Anterior Cruciate ligament.

"As the joint is painful, she will be examined under anaesthesia and then further course of action will be decided."

The full extent of the injury and the recovery time would be known only after a complete examination, Hariprasad said.

An athlete who has suffered a simple ACL injury could undergo physiotherapy and return to action within a few weeks.

But in case of an ACL with a tear, it could take anywhere between three and six months, a medical expert said.

INTERVIEW: SANIA MIRZA

`Doubles helped improve my game'

Sania Mirza's current form is encouraging. By her own admission she is playing her best tennis now. And the turning point of her success this season has been Doha. "I started winning a lot more after that," she says in a chat with Nandita Sridhar.

Sania Mirza of 2007 is a mixture of the confident teenager who stormed the scene two seasons ago and the one who looks to have learnt from last year's losses and disappointments.

The 20-year-old's season so far has been encouraging, with two semifinal and one quarterfinal appearances. But it's too early in the season to read anything much in them.

Speaking to Sportstar, Sania shed light on her game, fitness, Indian tennis, and other issues.

Excerpts:

Question: A lot of people have a lot of things to say about your current form. How do you feel about your game now? Would you say that Doha was the turning point of your success this season?

Answer: I'm playing my best tennis now, and I always give 100 percent every time I step on the court. There are things to work on, of course, like the serve. Doha was the turning point in the sense that I started winning a lot more after that. I played great there and I'm very happy about it. It gave me a lot of confidence when I beat the World No. 22 then.

How fit are you now when compared to last year?

I have a trainer (Heath Matthews) and I've been training really hard and punishing myself. What has helped me the most is that I haven't had any injuries in the last six months.

Do you have any plans to appoint a full-time travelling coach? Do you think you need one now?

I'm not doing too badly without a full-time travelling coach. I might get one, but I'm not in a hurry.

How has playing doubles helped your game?

I'm ranked No. 26 in the world in doubles now. I don't play doubles in all the tournaments, but I chose to play here (Bangalore), so my fans could get to see more of me. Doubles has helped me a lot in improving my volleying and serving. It keeps my confidence levels high.

Do you have any specific goals at this stage of your career?

At this point, I don't. Right now, I'm just looking at taking one week at a time.

How does it feel to play at home?

It's a different experience, and it's a lot of fun. The pressure and expectations are there for anyone who plays at home and in front of thousands. The only difference with me is that I have to deal with a billion.

What are your thoughts on the future of tennis in the country?

I don't exactly know who the next top-50 or top-100 player is going to be, but we are going to have not just one or two, but quite a few. Few years ago, when I was playing under-10 and under-12 tournaments, we had draws of fours and fives. Now there are hundreds of girls. I think that slowly but surely we will see a lot more. When I started playing there was one coach, now there are 5000-odd people coaching. When I see kids come out and show their support, I realise how much the sport has grown here.

Who are the other Indian girls who can make it to the next level?

There are a lot of talented girls, like Tara (Iyer) for example. There are girls I've grown up with, like Ankita (Bhambri) and Isha (Lakhani). It's just a question of getting the right opportunities and the right breaks.

Do we have the necessary infrastructure to support the growth of the game in the country?

It's no secret that the infrastructure is not the best in India, but it's slowly getting there. We now have some really good stadiums and things are looking good for the future. Hyderabad, for example, has one of the best stadiums.

India now hosts two WTA events, which was unthinkable earlier. Having taken part in them for the last couple of years, how have they been?

The first tournament in any country will not really be the best, but over the last three years things have got better. Sony Ericsson's involvement in women's tennis is helping a lot, and they're doing a lot to promote women's tennis across the globe. Events like these (Sony Ericsson International) in India will be a boost to the game in the country.

What sort of feedback have you received from other players on the tournaments here?

It's been good. Serena contemplated coming here and almost did. Martina Navratilova came here. A lot more girls now want to play in India.

How do you think women's tennis has changed over the years?

Earlier, the idea was that femininity and sport never go together. Things have changed a lot now, and women's tennis has so much going for it, like the depth and the glamour.

Women's tennis is now being significantly marketed for its glamour. Is it healthy for the sport?

It's a very personal thing and depends on how you want to project yourself. The top priority for most is winning. My focus is always on doing well on the court, and looking good or ugly at that point is the last thing on my mind. But it's fine to have some fun. The Sony Ericsson Open in Miami (March), for example, is going to project both the tennis and the glamour. We're going to see some great tennis and it's going to be one big party for the players. We all love dressing up, and being a tennis player doesn't mean punishing yourself all the time.

As a kid who wanted to make it big in tennis, who was your role model then, and who is it now?

Steffi Graf has always been my role model. From the current crop, we have to salute Serena Williams. She's proved the whole world wrong, and showed us that anything is possible.

What's your take on the issue of equal prize money?

It's not like we're dying or going bankrupt because we're getting lesser than the men, but we definitely deserve it, because we're working equally hard. It's a question of equal rights.

Injured Sania pulls out of Qatar Open

Indian tennis star Sania Mirza on Wednesday pulled out of the Qatar Open WTA tennis tournament due to knee injury.

Sania announced her decision just before her second round singles match to be played in front of the capacity crowd on the centre court against Ukrainian Kateryna Bondarenko in the USD 1.34 million event.

The 20-year-old had sustained the injury during her win against Italy's Romina Oprandi in the opening round on Monday.

Sania had withdrawn from the doubles event yesterday.

She will now return to her home town Hyderabad, where she will undergo a scan on Thursday.

The 46-ranked is next scheduled to play in the Indian Wells tournament.

Photo:Sania Mirza returns the ball to Romina Oprandi from Italy during the Qatar Open

Sania Mirza returns the ball to Romina Oprandi from Italy during the Qatar Open tennis tournament in Doha

Photo:Sania Mirza reacts to a lost point

Sania Mirza reacts to a lost point against Romina Oprandi from Italy during their Qatar Open tennis tournament match in Doha February 26, 2007

Crowd favourite Mirza advances in Doha

DOHA (AFP) - Indian heart-throb Sania Mirza stormed into the second round of the 1.34 million dollar Qatar Open with a 6-4, 6-3 win over Italian Romina Oprandi on Monday.
Backed by a strong crowd of expatriate Indians in Qatar, Mirza, who was trailing 3-0 in the second set, won six games in a row to complete her second victory over Oprandi this year after her triumph last month in Australia.

Both players carried niggling knee injuries and Mirza had to get on-court treatment for several minutes, but that didn't stop her from unleashing some sizzling shots that left the Italian rooted on the court on several occasions.

Mirza, who was the toast of the crowd during the Asian Games last December, had to come from behind in the first set too, storming from 3-1 down to take a 4-3 lead and holding serve to consolidate her position further.

After Oprandi won the next game, the Indian closed out the set with ease using her booming forehand to good effect.

The Qatar Tennis Federation acknoledged Mirza's tremendous crowd-pulling prowess, by opening the tournament with her match on centre court and the response from the public more than justified their decision.

"I am quite happy with the way I played although I made some mistakes on big points," Mirza said referring to some easy volleys she missed at the net.

"I am also quite happy with the way I was received by the Indians living here. it's always good to have some support."

Mirza said she will be trying to play the tournament in a relaxed manner after all the hype during the Asian Games.

"The Asiad was different because I was expected to win some medals, but that is not the case here. Here there are so many good players that I just want to go out there and do my best."

Meanwhile, two other Italians avoided Oprandi's fate by advancing into the second round. Francesca Schiavone, the eighth seed here, defeated Bulgarian Tsvetana Pironkova 6-2, 6-4, while Mara Santangelo ousted Germany's Sandra Kloesel 6-3, 7-6 (7/4).

Photo:Sania Mirza returns a backhand to Romina Oprandi

Sania Mirza returns a backhand to Romina Oprandi of Italy during their tennis match of the WTA Qatar Total Open in Doha. Sania won 6-4, 6-3

Sania drops one place to 46th

Sania Mirza, who took a week off the circuit after the Bangalore Open, has slipped one spot to number 46 in the latest WTA Tour rankings.

The Indian star reached the quarterfinals in Bangalore where she lost to Russian Yaroslava Shvedova in three tough sets.

The 20-year old Hyderabadi returns to the circuit at the Qatar Open in Doha where she will take on Italian Romina Oprandi in the opening round.

Sania, however, improved two places to 26th in the doubles rankings.

Shikha Uberoi is the next highest ranked Indian, improving one spot to 231st in singles while dropping two places to 89th in the doubles charts.

Leander Paes and his Czech partner Martin Damm won their third career title together, beating Andrei Pavel of Romania and Alexander Waske of Germany 6-3 6-7(5) 10-7 in the final of the ATP event in Rotterdam.

Paes and Damm were runners-up at Doha last month to Mikhail Youzhny and Nenad Zimonjic.

However, the success did not help in improving their rankings with Paes (12th) and Damm (11th) holding on to their places. Mahesh Bhupathi clung on to 27th spot in doubles.

Sania crashes out of Bangalore Open tennis

Second seed Sania Mirza crashed out of the $175,000 Bangalore Open tennis tournament Friday, losing to unseeded Yaroslava Shvedova of Russia.

Shvedova defeated Sania 6-7 (2-7), 6-4, 6-4 to advance to the semi-finals. Sania lost despite enjoying huge crowds support throughout the match.She will, however, return to the court later in the evening when she plays doubles quarter-finals.

Second-seeded pair Sania and Mara Santangelo of Italy will play Uberoi sisters Neha, who is representing the US, and Shikha, who is playing for India.

In the other singles quarter-final encounters, top seed Santangelo defeated qualifier Yurika Sema of Japan 6-1, 6-4 and Tzipora Obziler of Israel beat Melinda Czink of Hungary 6-4, 7-6 (7-3) in a match between unseeded players.

The fourth quarter-final match be played between fourth seed Jelena Kostanic Tosic of Croatia and Olga Savchuk of Ukraine.

Sania crashes out of Bangalore Open tennis

Bangalore, Feb 16 Second seed Sania Mirza crashed out of the $175,000 Bangalore Open tennis tournament Friday, losing to unseeded Yaroslava Shvedova of Russia.

Shvedova defeated Sania 6-7 (2-7), 6-4, 6-4 to advance to the semi-finals. Sania lost despite enjoying huge crowds support throughout the match.She will, however, return to the court later in the evening when she plays doubles quarter-finals.

Second-seeded pair Sania and Mara Santangelo of Italy will play Uberoi sisters Neha, who is representing the US, and Shikha, who is playing for India.

In the other singles quarter-final encounters, top seed Santangelo defeated qualifier Yurika Sema of Japan 6-1, 6-4 and Tzipora Obziler of Israel beat Melinda Czink of Hungary 6-4, 7-6 (7-3) in a match between unseeded players.

The fourth quarter-final match be played between fourth seed Jelena Kostanic Tosic of Croatia and Olga Savchuk of Ukraine.

Photo:Sania Mirza serves a volley against Russia's Yaroslava Shvedova

Sania Mirza serves a volley against Russia's Yaroslava Shvedova, unseen, during the quarterfinal match of the Sony Ericsson WTA Tour in Bangalore, India, Friday, Feb. 16

PIC: -Sania Mirza serves a volley against Russia's Yaroslava Shvedova

Sania Mirza serves a volley against Russia's Yaroslava Shvedova, unseen, during the quarterfinal match of the Sony Ericsson WTA Tour in Bangalore, India, Friday, Feb. 16, 2007

Photo:Sania Mirza stands on the court during her match

Sania Mirza stands on the court during her match against Russia's Yaroslava Shvedova at the Women's Open tennis tournament in the southern Indian city of Bangalore

Photo:Sania Mirza coaches a girl

Sania Mirza coaches a girl in the southern Indian city of Bangalore February 15, 2007

Photo:Sania Mirza smiles after winning the match

Sania Mirza smiles after winning the match against Belarus' Tatiana Poutchek at the Women's Open tennis tournament in the southern Indian city of Bangalore February 15, 2007

Photo:Sania Mirza celebrates after winning the match

Sania Mirza celebrates after winning the match against Belarus' Tatiana Poutchek at the Women's Open tennis tournament in the southern Indian city of Bangalore February 15, 2007

Photo:Sania Mirza plays a shot to Belarus' Tatiana Poutchek

Sania Mirza plays a shot to Belarus' Tatiana Poutchek during their match at the Women's Open tennis tournament in the southern Indian city of Bangalore February 15, 2007

Photo:Sania Mirza celebrates after winning the match

Sania Mirza celebrates after winning the match against Belarus' Tatiana Poutchek at the Women's Open tennis tournament in the southern Indian city of Bangalore February 15, 2007

Photo:Sania Mirza plays a shot to Slovakia's Martina Sucha during their match

Sania Mirza plays a shot to Slovakia's Martina Sucha during their match at the Women's Open tennis tournament in the southern Indian city of Bangalore February 14, 2007

Photo:Sania Mirza plays a shot to Slovakia's Martina Sucha

Sania Mirza plays a shot to Slovakia's Martina Sucha during their match at the Women's Open tennis tournament in the southern Indian city of Bangalore February 14, 2007

Photo:Sania Mirza, right, and Italian Mara Santangelo play against Uzbekistan's Akgul Amnanmradova and Belarus' Tatiana Poutchek

Sania Mirza, right, and Italian Mara Santangelo play against Uzbekistan's Akgul Amnanmradova and Belarus' Tatiana Poutchek, unseen, during the first round doubles tennis match of the Sony Ericsson WTA Tour in Bangalore, India, Tuesday, Feb. 13, 2007. Mirza/Santangelo won 6-2, 7-6.

Photo:Sania Mirza checks her racket during a break at a tennis match against Uzbekistan's Akgul Amnanmradova

Sania Mirza checks her racket during a break at a tennis match against Uzbekistan's Akgul Amnanmradova and Belarus's Tatiana Poutchek, unseen, during the first round doubles match of the Sony Ericsson WTA Tour in Bangalore, India, Tuesday, Feb. 13, 2007. Sania and her partner Italy's Mara Santangelo won the match 6-2, 7-6.

Photo:Sania Mirza, left, plays a shot as her partner Italy's Mara Santangelo looks on

Sania Mirza, left, plays a shot as her partner Italy's Mara Santangelo looks on during a tennis match against Uzbekistan's Akgul Amnanmradova and Belarus's Tatiana Poutchek, unseen, at the first round doubles match of the Sony Ericsson WTA Tour in Bangalore, India, Tuesday, Feb. 13, 2007. Sania and Santangelo won the match 6-2, 7-6.

Photo:Sania Mirza (front) and her doubles partner Mara Santangelo

Sania Mirza (front) and her doubles partner Mara Santangelo of Italy play a shot to Uzbekistan's Akgul Amanmuradova and Tatiana Poutchek of Belarus during their match at the Bangalore Women's Open tennis tournament

Photo:Sania Mirza smiles during a news conference

Sania Mirza smiles during a news conference in the southern Indian city of Bangalore February 12, 2007

Photo:Sania Mirza hits a return to Gisela Dulko of Argentina

Sania Mirza of India hits a return to Gisela Dulko of Argentina at the Pattaya Women's Open tennis tournament in Pattaya, Thailand February 10, 2007

Photo:Sania Mirza of India hits a return to Gisela Dulko

Sania Mirza of India hits a return to Gisela Dulko of Argentina at the Pattaya Women's Open tennis tournament in Pattaya, Thailand February 10, 2007

Photo:Sania Mirza waves to supporters

Sania Mirza waves to supporters after her win over Italy's Mara Santangelo at the Pattaya Women's Open tennis tournament in Pattaya, Thailand, February 9, 2007

Photo:Sania Mirza plays a shot to Italy's Mara Santangelo

Sania Mirza plays a shot to Italy's Mara Santangelo at the Pattaya Women's Open tennis tournament in Pattaya, Thailand, February 9, 2007

Photo:Sania Mirza plays a shot to Italy's Mara Santangelo

Sania Mirza plays a shot to Italy's Mara Santangelo at the Pattaya Women's Open tennis tournament in Pattaya, Thailand, February 9, 2007