Sania Plays Down Peer Pairing

Sania Mirza hopes her decision to renew her doubles partnership with Israel's Shahar Peer at Wimbledon does not stir up another religious storm.

"We're playing tennis, we're not making statements. We're just here to play tennis and we're here to perform and be the best we can be," the Indian number one said on Thursday.

"Me and Shahar are playing just like the way me and [Eva] Birnerova played the French Open, just like the way I played with anyone else the last six weeks. It doesn't make any statement."

The last time Sania, a Muslim, joined forces with Peer at the 2005 Japan Open, their association was short-lived.

Under pressure from militants furious over a Muslim and a Jew playing together, Sania called for some time out.

She hopes their second stab at success will be remembered more for their on-court exploits.

"We've grown up together. We're great friends. So we said, why not?" said Mirza, who comes from the southern Indian city of Hyderabad.

"We were both very lucky to find each other because it's someone who suits each other's game. I have a big forehand, she has a big backhand. We've done well in the past.

"We really don't care whether she's from Israel or I'm from Pakistan. At the end of the day it matters whether we win a match or not."

Doubles partnerships between Muslim and Jewish players have not gone down too well in the past.

In 2002, Aisam-ul-Haq Qureshi was threatened with a suspension from Pakistan's tennis federation when he entered the Wimbledon men's doubles with Israel's Amir Hadad.

The partnership won the duo a humanitarian award from the organisers of men's tennis but Sania does not want any similar recognition.

"I'm here to play tennis and so is she. That's the end of that. It has nothing to do with anything else," she said.

The 16th seeds face American Lisa Osterloh and Sweden's Sofia Andersson in the first round.

Sania Mirza Crashes Out Of Wimbledon Singles

Sania Mirza crashed out of the singles competition at Wimbledon after being thrashed by Russia's Nadia Petrova in a second round match on Thursday.

The 20-year-old Indian ace was outplayed by the 11th seeded Russian, losing 2-6, 2-6.

Nothing went right for Sania after being broken in the second game of the match. Another break in the eighth game gave Petrova the first set in 28 minutes.

Sania came back strongly at the start of the second set, extending the 25-year-old from Moscow in the first game, where she had two break-points but failed to convert them.

But she could not sustain the early flourish and was broken for the third time in the match as Petrova went 2-0 up.

Sania had another chance to break in the third game but frittered it away by committing an unforced error.

Games then went with serve before the Russian effected another break in the eighth game to wrap the match in 64 minutes.

The victory was revenge of sorts for Petrova, who was shocked by Sania two years back in a WTA Tour event in San Diego.

Sania will partner Israel's Shahar Peer in the ladies doubles and Mahesh Bhupathi in the mixed doubles.

Sania Mirza Cruises Into Second Round At Wimbledon

Sania Mirza blasted her way into the second round at Wimbledon overnight, easing past Russia's Yaroslava Shvedova in straight sets.

Mirza, 20, wasted no time on Court No.6 as she demolished the 19-year-old Muscovite 6-0 6-3 in 55 minutes.

Sania Mirza was frustrated by her opponent at 5-2 up in the final set, being pegged at deuce before world No.80 Shvedova finally won the game.

She lost two match points in the final game before finally sealing it as the Russian misfired.

Mirza, who signed autographs for the Indian fans in the crowd as she left, now faces Russian Nadia Petrova, the No.11 seed, in the second round.

World No.44 Mirza's best Wimbledon performance was reaching the second round in 2005, while her best grand slam outing was at the US Open in the same year, when she reached the fourth round.

Wimbledon: Sania Faces Russian Teenager In First Round

Sania Mirza faces 19-year-old Yaroslava Shvedova of Russia in the women's singles first round of the Wimbledon tennis championships beginning here Monday.

Friday's draw pitted Sania, ranked 46th in the world, against the 80th ranked Russian, who could not get past the opening round in her maiden appearance last year.

Sania, who turns 21 in November, has herself never advanced beyond the second round at Wimbledon in her previous two outings.

In the doubles, Sania partners Shahar Peer of Israel. They face Sofia Arvidsson of Sweden and Lilia Osterloh of the US in the opening round.

Among the men, India's Leander Paes and Martin Damm of the Czech Republic are seeded fifth in doubles and will face Chris Haggard of South Africa and Marcin Matkowski of Poland in the first round.

Paes, who turned 37 last week, and 34-year-old Damm have had an indifferent Grand Slam season so far this year. The pair lost in the third round of the Australian Open in January and failed to get past the second at the French Open last month.

Mahesh Bhupathi, the other Indian in the men's doubles competition, is seeded 11 along with Radek Stepanek of the Czech Republic. The duo kick off their campaign against Christopher Kas of Germany and Alexander Peya of Austria.

Paes and Bhupathi have been unable to repeat their 1999 performance when they reached the doubles of all four grand slam events, winning the French Open and Wimbledon.

Source: http://www.aol.in/sports/story/2007062209039012000005/index.html

Indian Eyes On Mirza

She may only be ranked 46 in the world but Sania Mirza will be one of the most scrutinized performers at this year's Wimbledon.

India has had its fair share of tennis stars in the past but until the 20-year-old from Hyderabad arrived they had been exclusively male.

Sania Mirza has broken new ground for Indian sport, becoming the first woman to break into the world's top and the first to win a WTA title at her hometown tournament in 2005.

And she has come in for criticism along the way, with some in her country angered by her sporting attire and describing it as "indecent dressing" and "corrupting".

"I try not to read papers as much as possible and I try not to watch too many news channels when the sports news is going on," she tells BBC Sport.

"Every athlete in India has the pressure of the whole country on them when they play, more so the cricketers than me, but that's something that we try and block out as much as possible.

"But it's impossible to do it completely."

Mirza was on the verge of breaking the top 30 as an 18-year-old after reaching the last 16 at the US Open but her recent progress has been hindered by a serious knee injury.

She went nine weeks without hitting a ball after surgery and only returned to action at the French Open earlier this month, where she won her first-round match before coming up against eventual finalist Ana Ivanovic.

"When I won my first round in Paris my phone was going off the hook," she says. "Everyone was very excited.

"I was not playing tennis at all for two and a half months - I started playing a week before I went to Paris. It's very hard, especially after you have surgery.

"If you just have an injury and you come back I think it's a bit easier but I literally had to start from scratch. My left leg had so much more power than my right leg.

"I probably thought I would take longer to start hitting the ball as well as I was when I stopped playing. It's been a hard process.

"We've worked very hard in the gym - the rehab started two days after the surgery with little exercises. It's been very, very hard."

After returning to action on clay Mirza is keen to get back to Wimbledon, where she won the junior doubles title in 2003 and says the surface "suits my game".

And there is the added advantage of the healthy level of support she enjoys in the UK.

"There are so many Indians in England and my dad's cousin is there and my mum's sister is in London, in Elephant and Castle," says Mirza.

"My best friend lives in Lancaster, she's studying there, and I haven't seen her in eight months so I'll definitely see her.

"I think I get more support at Wimbledon when I play because there are so many Indians out there and I think during that season a lot of people are visiting England as well.

"It's great, it almost feels like you're playing in India."

Sania Exits

It was another mixed day for Indian fans on June 3, 2007, as Indian hope Sania Mirza failed to win her second round mixed doubles match. On the other hand, Leander Paes moved on to the third round.

The Indo-French pair of Sania Mirza and Fabrice Santoro failed to match the hard-ground strokes of their sixth seeded opponents Katarina Srebotnik and Nenad Zimon-jic, and eventually lost out in straight sets 2-6, 6-7 in the second round. Sania, who had recently recovered from her injuries, had returned to the circuit only two weeks back. She will be pairing up with Anette Husarova of Slovakia for the doubles.

Sania-Santoro Cruise Into Second Round

Sania Mirza and Fabrice Santoro advanced to the second round of the mixed doubles competition with a facile win at the French Open.

The Indo-French pair broke no sweat in defeating Vania King of the US and Frantisek Cermak of the Czech Republic 6-2 6-0 in their opening encounter at Roland Garros on Friday.

Twenty-year-old Sania and the seasoned Santoro were the clear winners as they broke their rivals five times in the match and saved the five breakpoints they faced.

The duo won 50 points in all, as against Vania and Cermak's 29, in the match that lasted just 45 minutes.

Later on Saturday, Leander Paes and Mahesh Bhupathi are scheduled to play with their respective partners in the men's doubles second round and mixed doubles first round matches.