The Hindu : Sport : Sania's tryst with history

Online edition of India's National Newspaper
Friday, Feb 11, 2005

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Sport

Sania's tryst with history

By A. Joseph Antony

Sania Mirza will be banking on the local support when she faces off against Maria Kirilenko (right), who defeated the top seed Na Li in the quarterfinals. — Photos: P.V. Sivakumar

HYDERABAD, FEB. 10 . Sania Mirza took her career to a new high, making a maiden entry into a Women's Tennis Association (WTA) Tour semifinal with a 4-6, 6-3, 7-6(5) victory over Tzipora Obziler in the Hyderabad Open at the Sports Authority of Andhra Pradesh complex here on Thursday.

True to her grain, the Hyderabad lass never wavered in her attack, even when the chips were down. The winners kept coming off either hand, the spirit of adventure never held in check. Whether she was a set down or had lost her serve, the penchant to clamber back into contention never deserted her.

It was percentage tennis by Obziler in the first set as she mixed her shots well. Attack to her didn't seem the best form of defence, as she took due care not to feed Sania's formidable forehand. Knowing only too well that Sania's ankle could trouble her, Obziler had the Hyderabad lass on the run.

Having got this far in the event's first edition in 2003 and lost to Iroda Tulyaganova, the former Israeli soldier needed to make the last four badly, this time round. Pitted against an adversary more than a decade younger, Obziler was surrounded by hostility all around. With the whole arena rooting for her opponent here, Obziler was a picture of resilience, as rare as a comet appearance. The crowd's heckling didn't deter her, only her sagging strength did.

Her resources were limited but she used them with an intelligence that's the trademark of her tribe. To let Sania strike rhythm would prove disastrous and to prevent that was Obziler's aim. That being the case in the first, she overplayed her hand in the second set. The soft balls were far too many, several of them loose and most of which Sania didn't let go.

Efforts to moonball worked for the visitor till the sixth game, when Sania broke her. As with those who come out with guns blazing, the misfires were bound to be there. Prone to err on the high ball and when pushed towards the runner-boards, Sania righted those wrongs sooner than they were committed.

Tense moments

As the contest progressed, the hitches receded. The tense moments however tormented Sania, but could never crush her. The loss of the second game in the decider aroused her aggression further, evidenced by a smacking return of serve that had even Obziler applauding. Soon, Sania would get even wresting her opponent's serve in the seventh.

If Obziler thought Sania's backhand was brittle, it was to prove erroneous, as the latter made many a kill from that end. If one suspected the experience of Obziler would prevail in the tie-breaker, that forecast could not have been more off the mark, as Sania held her nerve for a truly deserving win.

Sania's semifinal showdown will be against Maria Kirilenko, a comfortable 6-4, 6-3 winner over the tournament top seed Na Li. The Chinese player's movement didn't seem hampered despite her thigh being strapped. A tendency to see the ball sink before she made her stroke could possibly have led to her ouster. Her Russian rival's game got more fluid with each passing game. Pacing her play well, Kirilenko handled the big points well, almost always the aggressor.

On court three, Anna Lena Groenefeld was stretched 7-6(5) in the first set. But China's Tiantian Sun, winner of the Athens Olympics doubles crown with Ting Li, couldn't quite contain the German, who claimed the second set at 6-3. On court four, Alyona Bondarenko halted Canadian Marie Eve Pelletier 7-6(5), 6-4. Later in the evening the top ranked doubles pair of Groenefeld and Martina Navratilova conceded its quarterfinal match to Akgul Amanmuradova and Tatiana Panov. Leading 3-2, the leading duo withdrew following Groenefeld's right knee strain, which the WTA physio described as `acute.'

The results:

Singles: Quarterfinals: Na Li (Chi) lost to Maria Kirilenko (Rus) 4-6, 3-6, Anna Lena Groenefeld (Ger) bt Tiantian Sun (Chi) 7-6(5), 6-3, Alyona Bondarenko (Ukr) bt Marie Eve Pelletier (Can) 7-6(5), 6-4, Sania Mirza (Ind) bt Tzipora Obziler (Isr) 4-6, 6-3, 7-6(5).

Doubles: Quarterfinals: Akgul Amanmuradova/Tatiana Panov w/o Martina Navratilova/Anna Lena Groenefeld 2-3 (conceded), Maria Kirilenko/Tamarine Tanasugarn bt Mara Santangelo/Andrea Vanc 6-2, 4-6, 6-4, Ting Li/Tiantian Sun bt Anastassia Rodionova/Ma Emilia Salerni 6-4, 6-3.

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