Sania set to play 52nd Grand Slam

Buoyed with her solid show in the WTA 250 event in Cleveland, Sania looks to carry the momentum to the last Grand Slam of the year.

Hyderabad: Sania Mirza is all set to play her 52nd Grand Slam when she pairs with American Coco Vandeweghe in the women’s doubles event of the US Open that got under way on Monday.

She played her first Grand Slam in 2005. She appeared in 11 finals (both women’s doubles and mixed doubles) and won six titles.

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Buoyed with her solid show in the WTA 250 event in Cleveland, Sania looks to carry the momentum to the last Grand Slam of the year. The Indian and her American partner Christina McHale ended runners-up in Cleveland losing to top seeds Shuko Aoyama and Ena Shibahara.

The unseeded pair of Sania and Coco has been drawn to face No. 12 seeds Nadiia Kichenok of Ukraine and Raluce Olaru of Romania in the first round. “Reaching the final of the run-up WTA tournament in Cleveland is definitely a morale-boosting one and I hope I can carry the momentum into the Grand Slam. My partner, Coco Vandeweghe and I have a tough draw against the 12th seeds in the first round of the US Open but we are looking forward to a good match,’’ she said from New York.

Sania, who doubles up as mother and player, continues to have that fire when she goes about her job and this will be her 52nd Grand Slam of her career. “That in itself is an achievement for me. I have had my best results on the hard courts of the US Open, having reached the last-16 stage in singles in 2005. I also won the mixed doubles title in 2014 (with Bruno Soares of Brazil) and the women’s doubles title (with Martina Hingis) here at the US Open in 2015.’’ The Indian ace felt each Grand Slam has a unique character and flavour of its own. “Everything at Flushing Meadows is huge. The sprawling tennis grounds, the massive Arthur Ashe Stadium make one almost feel small and insignificant in relation to their size. It is a huge honour and one feels privileged to be performing at this world-class venue.’’

At 33, Sania has stunned the tennis world after motherhood with an amazing comeback story. She is enjoying her success along with her son Izhaan. But she believes in hard work and determination. “So far, so good. Of course, with advancing age there are pains and aches that I have to deal with on a regular basis but by God’s grace, my body is in decent shape,’’ she signed off.

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