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.