Sania to meet Govortsova in Qatar Open first round

Sania Mirza will open her campaign against Belarusian Olga Govortsova in the $2.5 million Qatar Total Open at the Khalifa Tennis Complex starting on Monday.

The 48th ranked Belarusian will not be a tough nut to crack for Sania, who prevailed over her in their only encounter last year at Cincinnati.

If Sania, ranked 29, clears the first round hurdle, she will have a tough task at hand as she runs into Australian Open runner-up Ana Ivanovic, who is among the top eight players to have been given first round exemptions.

Some of top players in women’s tennis including Australian Open champion Maria Sharapova of Russia, Venus Williams, Svetlana Kuznetsova, Jelena Jankovic and Nadia Petrova are participating in the event.

This will be Sania’s first appearance since she battled a foot injury to save India from relegation in Fed Cup earlier this month.

Sania then dropped a bombshell by pulling out of WTA Bangalore Open to evade controversies that has hounded her since she burst onto the international scene.

Sympathies pour in for Sania

Sania Mirza’s decision not to play in India to avoid being dragged into controversies on Monday evoked sympathetic reactions in the tennis fraternity with some former players even urging her to reconsider the decision.

The 21-year-old Sania, Asia’s top women’s player and ranked 29th in the world, pulled out of next month’s Bangalore Open, saying it was increasingly becoming difficult for her to cope with such petty controversies dogging her career.

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Sania: The controversial star!

For tennis lovers and Indians around the globe, she represents a new dynamic face of young India. She’s the first woman to make her mark in the third round of a Grand Slam. This young lass is India’s most searched for tennis star on a popular search engine Google. No prizes for guessing, of course it’s none other than – Sania Mirza. But that’s not just about it. A vivacious lady with guts to prove her talent, never knowing there was much more than tennis that would come her way.

She’s an Indian ‘Muslim’ woman and for people who claim to be intellectually aware and sincerely dedicated to their religion, her sport star status does not budge them from raising fingers on her. Or should we say that’s the primary reason why she’s always surrounded by critical eyes.

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Tired of controversies, Sania doesn’t want to play in India

Tired of being dragged into one controversy after another in the past few months, Sania Mirza has decided against playing in India for now.

Sania has opted out of next month’s Bangalore Open and has cited the petty controversies that have been dogging her for quite some time for the pullout.

In Video: Sania to miss Bangalore Open

“I am not playing in Bangalore Open. I have been advised by my manager not to play (there) because a lot has been happening in the past few months,” Sania said on Monday.

“Everytime I have played in India, there has been some kind of problem. So we just thought it was better not to play this time,” she added.

Ever since her breakthrough 2005 season, Sania has been battling controversies ranging from her on court attire being dubbed indecent by Islamic fundamentalists to the recent flag controversy during the Hopman Cup in December last year.

In fact, the off court furores had shaken the world number 29 to such an extent that she had contemplated giving up the game altogether a few weeks before last month’s Australian Open.

Sania Mirza Advised Rest for Adductor Injury

Indian Tennis number one Sania Mirza has been advised to take three weeks off to help heal a five cm tear in her adductor (upper leg) muscle, her father Imran Mirza said.

“According to the doctor, an adductor muscle tear of 10 cm or more requires surgery but a 5 cm tear should heal on its own with rest,” Mirza told the Indian Tennis Blog.

The 21-year-old Hyderabadi player, now also ranked number one in Asia, has been sidelined since last week’s Australian Open mixed doubles final which she lost partnering Mahesh Bhupathi.

“She is in intense pain when she bends down on a low ball and needed six pain killers before being able to play in the final,” Mirza said.

Hopes of an Indian victory in the ongoing WTA Fed Cup in Bangkok were also dashed after Sania was rendered unfit for the ties.

Mirza said Sania had been keen to play at least the doubles rubbers but it depended on whether non-playing Fed Cup captain Enrico Piperno thought it worth taking a risk of further injury for the sake of the country.

Sania In pics

official dress for sania mirza in the australian open after being signed by addidas.

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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.