If there were any doubts that this was a fairytale story, they were
dispelled when she won the WTA in her hometown, Hyderabad. The
bandwagon rolled on, relentlessly, through Dubai and the debris of
more seeds fallen by the wayside.

All the while we watched, scarcely daring to believe what was
happening. Soon, the world began to take notice. It helped that
Sania was young, camera-friendly, hip, smart, well-dressed,
nose-ringed and, most of all, an Indian Muslim Woman. The media
was putty in her hands. The cover of Time was waiting to be shot.

Of course, little of this would have happened if she couldn’t play;
she’d have been another Anna Kournikova. But play she could
— and how! She traded forehands with Maria Sharapova,
Serena Williams and Svetlana Kuznetsova at the Slams, scalped
reigning US Open champ Svetlana Kuznetsova and kept rising
up the rankings. Her year ends equally improbably: Training in
Sydney with Tony Roche, possibly trading notes with Roche’s
other ward, Roger Federer. It’s been a grand ride and the best
part is, we know it’s going to get better.

HYDERABAD, FEBRUARY
Staged the Great Escape against 118-ranked Tzipora
Obziler in Hyderabad Open quarters, winning
4-6, 6-3, 7-6 (5). Set her up for greatness.
Two matches later, defeated World Number Nine
seed Alyona Bondarenko 6-4, 5-7, 6-3 to become
first Indian women to capture WTA singles title

DUBAI, MARCH
Beat Jelena Kostanic 6-7, 6-4, 6-1 at Dubai Open,
her first Top-50 scalp

SAN DIEGO, AUGUST
Beat No.4 seed Nadia Petrova 6-2, 6-1 in the last
16 to become the first Indian player
to crack Top 50 rankings

NEW YORK, AUGUST
Beat Marion Bartoli 7-6 (4), 6-4 in US Open
pre-quarters to show how she could bounce
back from being outplayed in one set to
winning the next, and the match

TOKYO, OCTOBER
Vera Zvonareva became Sania’s first top-seed
scalp at the Japan Open. The win also gave the
Indian 88 WTA points to reach a career high
ranking of 31

PEER PRAISE

Her best tennis is incredible. She’s probably hitting the
ball a lot harder and cleaner than a lot of the top girls
— Kim Clijsters

I think she’s definitely great for the sport. You know,
tennis is a very global sport. It’s amazing how we have,
you know, such great athletes. She’s very young, has a
great future ahead of her. Very big game. But of course
with time, I think she needs experience, you know, she’ll learn
— Maria Sharapova after her match at the US Open

She has a very solid game, especially to be so young,
she’s only 18. I definitely see a very bright future for her
— Serena Williams, after her match at the Australian Open

SANIA ON SANIA
That’s how I play. I’m going to have maybe 50 unforced
errors one day, but I’m going to also have 50 winners
that day, … People just have to accept me the way I play.
Maybe I can add variation to my game, but I’m going to
win matches only when I hit those winners

TALKING TEES

Getting shirty was Sania’s way of spreading
the message. Here were four one-liners:

Well-behaved women rarely make history
You Can Either Agree With Me, or Be Wrong
I’m Cute? No s***!
Don’t Get in My Way

THE WRITE STUFF
Her impact was not limited to India, or even to
tennis. It took an American writer to draw a parallel
with a Pakistani cricket icon

‘Sania may evolve into female Imran’
It sure sounded as if Sania Mirza and Maria Sharapova
were pounding the sweat out of each other. It sure seemed
like they were hitting the ball so hard, tendons could snap in
their wrists and they wouldn’t even notice. The New York crowd,
always keen for an upset, warmed quickly to Mirza, the feisty
Indian girl with the ring in her nose and teen angst ’tude. Even
as Mirza slapped her shots with wild abandon on nearly every
point, she was stealing attention from Sharapova, the sultry
Russian whose game is even more interesting than her looks.

You wonder if the collision of cultures won’t eventually bring
her down, but then you witness her confidence and cheekiness
and think she just might be a moderate female version of Imran
Khan, the cricketer turned politician.
—LISA OLSON/New York Daily News

FIVE THINGS WE’D NEVER HAVE PREDICTED IN JANUARY

• Beating top seeds
• Training with Tony Roche (above), coach to World No One Roger Federer
• Making the cover of Time
• Making her accessories a fashion statement
• Getting blue-chip endorsements: Tata, Lotto, HP, Hyundai

WHERE SHE GOES FROM HERE

Things just get tougher for Sania. While she won’t have to
qualify for tournaments, and seedings will be more frequent,
picking up points will be tougher. And the new rule
scrapping ‘‘quality’’ points — gained from beating a higher-ranked
opponent — means the bonuses are out.

Her spectacular success in terms of rankings will probably
come after the Australian Open, on her favoured hard court
surface. The hard court season lasts till April 10, and she
should be playing five tournaments including the title she
currently holds (shifted to Bangalore from Hyderabad).

That sets her up nicely for Wimbledon in June, on grass,
another surface she enjoys.