Sania Mirza – Asian number one

Melbourne (PTI): After being the undisputed Indian number one for long, Sania Mirza is now all set to become Asia’s numero uno tennis star, overtaking Chinese ace Na Li in the WTA Rankings.

The official list will be out only on Monday, but Sania’s third-round appearance in the Australian Open has put her well on course for gaining three spots to 29th on the WTA charts.

“I am very happy, I think this is the first time I would be Asian number one, so it’s an honour,” Sania, who is currently ranked 32nd, said.

The 21-year-old lost to Wimbledon champion Venus Williams in the third round to match her 2005 performance in the season’s first Grand Slam.

The effort was enough to earn her enough points for climb up the rankings ahead of Li, who was 30th in the last rankings and is set to pay the price for her third-round loss to unseeded Polish player Marta Domachowska.

Sania had a reasonably good run in the Australian Open as she made the third round of the women’s doubles event with local favourite Alicia Molik, besides reaching the mixed doubles finals teaming up with Mahesh Bhupathi.