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Reachout's Newsmaker
Sania Mirza
The first Indian to win a women's Grand Slam title.
Hyderabad,July,2003: Sania defeated Katerina Bohmova of Czech
Republic and Michaela Krajicek of the Netherlands 3-6, 6-2, 6-3 in the
girls' doubles to become the first Indian to win a women's Grand Slam
title.
Hyderabad's teenage tennis sensation has won her maiden
Wimbledon and Grand Slam title when she triumphed in the girls' doubles
event, partnering 13-year-old Russian Alisa Kleybanova. Sania will be
partnering 13-year-old Russian Alisa Kleybanova for future tournaments
on the international circuit though they will not play together at the
US Open
In the final, Mirza and Kleybanova lost the first set to the pair of
Katerina Bohmova of the Czech Republic and Michaela Krajicek of the
Netherlands before rallying to take the next two sets and snatch a 2-6,
6-3, 6-2 victory. Incidentally, Mirza, partnering Sanaa Bhambri, had lost
to Bohmova and Krajicek in the semi-finals at the French Open.
It was after 51 years that an Indian girl figured in the final of
a Grand Slam, the last being Rita Dabur, who had finished runner-up in
the singles event in 1952.
A winner of 21 International Tennis Federation titles, Mirza had lost in
the French Open girls' doubles semi-finals last month and in the girls'
singles at Wimbledon, where she suffered a 2-6, 6-3, 1-6 defeat against
Eden Marama of New Zealand in the second round.
Sania, 16, who is set to jump from her 16th world rank after the
victory, leads a promising bunch of youngsters, including 19th-ranked
Sanaa Bhambri. Sania and Bhambri, who play together in the doubles events
on international circuit, reached the semi-finals of the French Open
last month to give notice of their arrival on the world stage.
Sania has been trained at the Sinette Tennis Academy, Hyderabad, under
P. A. Jain and Ravi Chander. Her coach is CGK Bhupathi (Mahesh's
father).
Hyderabad's G.V.K.Group of Industries had sponsored for her airfare when
competing on the junior circuit. She is a product of Nazar School.
Sania
Mirza
The First Indian woman to enter the
third round of a Grand Slam tennis event
-MK
July' 2003
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