Sania Mirza hopes to get lucky

Sania Mirza will head to the hard courts of the United States determined to prove that she is a better player than her early French Open and Wimbledon exits suggest.

Mirza was knocked out of the first round at Wimbledon by Elena Dementieva, the Russian seventh seed 7-6 (7/5), 7-5.

But Sania believes the US hard court season will see a much-needed change in fortune. "Luck has not really been on my side. I played Myskina who loves clay in Paris and Dementieva here," said Mirza. "I'm not very disappointed but I played a decent match. I've always learnt to take positives out of my game."

Dementieva Dispatches Sania Mirza

Seventh seed Elena Dementieva moved into the second round of The Championships after a close 7-6 (7-5), 7-5 encounter with India’s Sania Mirza.

During the first set, Dementieva, making her eighth visit to the grass courts of SW19, insisted on serving to the Mirza forehand. After seeing the ball consistently returned at twice the rate, the Russian, who lost in the fourth round last year to compatriot Anastasia Myskina, started to mix things up, clawing her way back into the match from 5-2 down and forcing a tie-break. In truth however, it was Mirza who had squandered the initiative, having led by a double break and throwing away both with double faults at break point down.

Mirza, who was featured on the cover of Asia’s Time magazine in its special feature on “Asia’s Heroes”, was playing with strappings on her right elbow as well as on both ankles. She started brightly in the tie-break by bludgeoning her forehands to all parts of the court.

Dementieva, who won the pair’s only previous encounter on the hard courts of Indian Wells earlier this year, stood firm and won a critical 24-stroke-rally when the score was locked at five points all. She won the set on her first opportunity after another fantastic rally ended with a backhand winner from the tall Russian.

Mirza is no stranger to grass courts having won the Wimbledon junior doubles title in 2003. However, she could not edge ahead in a topsy-turvy second set which saw another seven breaks of serve. Mirza was making her second appearance in the event having lost last year to Svetlana Kuznetsova on Centre Court, and managed just three winners compared to fifteen in the first set.

Dementieva kept her nerve when it mattered and secured a place in the second round where she will play American Meghann Shaughnessy.

Source: http://www.wimbledon.org/en_GB/news/reports/2006-06-28/200606281151520408562.html

Sania to face Dementieva in round one

Sania Mirza starts her Wimbledon campaign later on Wednesday with a tough first round match against seventh seed Elena Dementieva.

The Russian won their previous encounter earlier this year at Indian Wells.

Sania reached the second round at Wimbledon last year and is a junior doubles champion.

Sania's best performance in a grand slam came last year when she reached the fourth round of the US Open.

Sania strives to get even with Dementieva

London, June 27: Sania Mirza is undaunted by the tough draw handed out to her at the Wimbledon grand slam and hopes to do one-set better than last time when she takes on seventh seed Elena Dementieva in the singles opening round.

"Obviously, this is a very tough first round and the problem with playing a top-10 player is that unless you play at your best, they have the capacity to humiliate you on court," Sania told reporters.

The Russian beat the 19-year old Indian 5-7 6-4 6-4 the last and only time they met at Indian Wells earlier this year.

The Hyderabadi lass is keen to set that 0-1 head-to-head record straight against Dementieva.

"She is one of the hardest strikers of the ball that I have ever played against. I played a very tight three-setter againt her last time and I hope to give a good account myself this time," Sania said.

The teenager caused ripples on her maiden appearance at Wimbledon last year when she gave Svetlana Kuznetsova a run for her money before going down in the second round.

"I hope to make it as memorable as my last year," she said.

The preparations have not gone exactly according to plans, though. Although she reached the third round at the DFS Classic - her best performance of the season - a fortnight back, a lack of communication saw her land in Don Bosch, Holland, last week instead of slugging it out against the cream of women's tennis at Eastbourne in London.

Sania travelled to the Netherlands with the intention of gaining some match practice playing alongside local lass Michaela Krajicek with whom she will be pairing in doubles at Wimbledon.

A less weighty draw there also meant that she had a better chance of playing more singles matches.

Unfortunately for her, Krajicek was not aware of her plans and had committed to another player. And Sania's singles programme also took a knock as she went out in the first round.

The Indian ace, however, said she was confident of her form.

"The tune-up matches have not gone as well as I would have liked but I am feeling the ball good and with a little bit of luck, I look forward to some exciting matches in singles and doubles," Sania said.

She has been sparring with a lot of different players including Krajicek, Anna-Lena Groenefeld and Elena Kostanic.

Sania said her game has come up a long way this year and Asif Ismail as coach-cum-hitting partner also has had a positive impact.

"I definitely feel I have improved over the last six months and matured, too.

"But in professional tennis, one has to go on working hard, keep on doing the right things and wait for the right breaks, which will eventually come if you are good enough.

"My coach Asif Ismail is someone I enjoy working with and he is adding new dimensions to the way I play."

Source: http://www.zeenews.com/znnew/articles.asp?aid=305260&ssid=92&sid=SPO

Why one billion people can't be wrong about Mirza

YOU don't want to mess with Sania Mirza. 'You can either agree with me or be wrong' read the slogan on one of her figure-hugging tee-shirts. 'Well-behaved women rarely make history' read another, worn at Wimbledon last year, while 'I'm cute? No shit' was emblazoned across her frontage at the US Open in September. Ms Mirza has attitude, in case you had not guessed.

When players talk about pressure, they sigh and try to explain what it is like to have a crowd of tennis fans taking an unnatural interest in their every move. Mirza, though, comes from India and not only faces the regular trials and tribulations of a professional athlete and celebrity, she also has one billion people at home following, and discussing, her progress. She admires the likes of Tim Henman and Andy Murray for the way they cope with the media circus that follows them at Wimbledon, but she knows that the pressure she faces is on another level again. "The only difference is that I have a billion people following them and they don't!" she laughed. "I am from India and I have to face it. These are the pressures I'm going to have for the rest of my life and there's nothing I can do about it.

"This is what my country is like and people in India get very emotional about their heroes."

Coming from a nation, and, indeed, a family, of cricket lovers, Mirza broke the mould from the moment she picked up a tennis racket at the age of six. Her talent was obvious from the start but with little by way of training facilities in her home town of Hyderabad, and with only her father to teach her, she constructed a style for herself that is based more on determination than traditional technique. As in everything else in her young life - she is just 19 - she has taken on tennis and done it her way. Her competitive fire has already brought her one tournament title - her home town event last year - and a current ranking of 38 in the world. Like most teenagers, she is not yet ready to become a leader for her generation but, still, she is regarded as either an icon or "a corrupting influence" in her home country. She is a practising Muslim but some more right-wing clerics in India have already attacked her for appearing in public in her tennis kit, clothing they deem to be highly unsuitable for a young woman. One group of fundamentalists even went as far as to issue a fatwa against her, threatening to stop her from playing unless she followed the Islamic dress code.

Fortunately for Mirza, India is a very large country and a large proportion of the 100 million Muslims living there are just pleased to see her succeed. Admittedly, these days she has bodyguards to protect her when she goes home, but they are there to fend off as many autograph hunters and journalists as religious zealots.

It is a lot for anyone to take on board, much less a teenager, but Mirza is a tough cookie. Sharp as a tack, willing and able to defend herself but also ready to laugh at the absurdities of her life, she does her best to put everything into perspective.

When her doubles partner, Liezel Huber, complained that the Bangalore crowd was too noisy as the duo were on the way to claiming the title this year, Mirza reminded her "you know what, you'd rather have them with you than against you".

"So you just have to take everything optimistically," Mirza said. She takes the same attitude to her career. She announced herself as a contender last year by winning in Hyderabad but this year the opposition has sized her up, worked out her weaknesses - her serve - and kept her quiet. Her best result came in Birmingham last week where she reached the third round. Enlisting the help of Tony Roche, Roger Federer's mentor, to sort out that serve, she is keeping her expectations to a minimum while she reconstructs her game and plans her move towards the elite level.

"There are so many people in India who believe I can be No.1 in the world by the end of the year," she said, "and if I start saying that I am going to top ten, then that will just put extra pressure on me. That's why I want to set myself realistic goals. If I stay in the top 50 this year, then that will be achieving my goal, but if stay in the top 25 then that will also be achieving my goal. But I think my main goal is never to be satisfied."

In theory, her plans for Wimbledon this year should also be low-key. But Mirza is both a fighter and a realist and at 19, she has plenty of time to develop her career. And with so many people following her, she will never be short on support. "Wherever I'm playing, whether it's at home or at Wimbledon, the amount of Indians that live in Wimbledon, it almost feels like home," she said. One billion people can't be wrong.

Source: http://scotlandonsunday.scotsman.com/othersport.cfm?id=928082006

Tough first round for Sania Mirza at Wimbledon

Sania Mirza was on Friday handed a tough first round outing after being drawn to play seventh seed Elena Dementieva of Russia in the women's singles at the Wimbledon Grand Slam beginning on Monday.

The 19-year old Indian, ranked 38th in the world, is in the top half of the draw and in the second quarter which also features 2004 champion Maria Sharapova.

French Open champion Amelie Mauresmo of France is the top seed followed by Belgians Kim Clijsters and Justine Henin-Hardenne, Sharapova and Svetlana Kuznetsova of Russia, defending champion Venus Williams, Dementieva and Switzerland's Patty Schnyder in that order for the top eight seedings.

Sania is paired with Holland's Michaela Krajicek in the women's doubles and the duo take on Stephanie Foretz of France and Italian Antonella Serra Zanetti in the first round.

In the men's doubles, Leander Paes and Czech Republic's Martin Damm have been seventh seeded. The pair clash with Janko Tipsarevic of Serbia and Russian Mikhail Youzhny in the opening round.

Mahesh Bhupathi has partnered with Alexander Waske of Germany to be 13th seeded and play Frederic Neimeyer of Canada and American Glenn Weiner in their opening match. (PTI)

Source: http://www.ndtv.com/sports/showsports.asp?sportname=Tennis&slug=Tough+first+round+for+Sania&id=28868

Sania Mirza crashes out of Ordina Open

NEW DELHI: Sania Mirza's preparations for the Wimbledon received a setback when she lost 6-7 (7-9), 6-2, 4-6 to Iveta Benesova of the Czech Republic in the first round of the $175,000 Ordina Open at Hertogenbosch, the Netherlands, on Sunday.

The 19-year old Hyderabadi, who jumped three places to 38 in world rankings after reaching the third round of DFS Classic in Birmingham last week, was at the receiving end of some dubious overrules by the chair umpire.

Sania, leading 4-2 in the first set tie-break, served an ace, which was belatedly turned into "fault" by the chair and the point awarded to Benesova.

The chair umpire made another overrule against Sania when she hit a clear winner on the far side of the court on set point in the same tie-break.

The Indian bounced back to wrap up the second set before conceding the next set and match.

Meanwhile, Sania will be partnering Holland's Michaella Krajicek in the women's doubles of the Wimbledon Grand Slam beginning next week.

Source: http://www.dnaindia.com/report.asp?NewsID=1036473

Sania moves up to 38th in world rankings

New Delhi, June 19. (PTI): The advent of the grass court season has witnessed Sania Mirza's resurgence with the Indian teenager jumping three places to 38th in the latest WTA rankings today.

The 19-year-old, who had been afflicted by injuries and slipped to 41 after her low key performances on clay courts, registered her first third-round appearance of the year at the USD 200,000 DFS Classic in Birmingham last week.

US-based Shikha Uberoi maintained her 165th position while Delhi-based Ankita Bhambri slid 14 places to 363rd and her younger sister Sanaa came down crashing 48 places to 570th. Seasoned Rushmi Chakravarthi dropped 11 spots to 453rd.

There was some good news in the men's section with Rohan Bopanna gaining 15 spots to be placed 252nd to be the highest ranked Indian on the ATP Tour.

Bopanna came through three rounds of qualifying to earn a first round main draw date with world number one Roger Federer at Halle, Germany, last week.