Sania Mirza bids farewell to tennis after first round defeat at Dubai Duty Free Championships
Darpan News Desk IANS, 21 Feb, 2023 01:17 PM
Dubai, Feb 21 (IANS) Indian tennis star Sania Mirza on Tuesday ended her magnificent 20-year-long career with a defeat in the first round of the Dubai Duty Free Tennis Championships, here.
The 36-year-old India legend lost in straight sets along with American partner Madison Keys in women's doubles tie. The pair went 4-6 0-6 down to Russian pair of Veronika Kudermetova and Liudmila Samsonova in one hour long battle.
A mother to 4-year-old boy Izhaan, Mirza, who had turned pro back in 2003, ended her glorious career with six Grand Slam trophies.
Three of those came in women's doubles with Swiss great Martina Hingis. The other three were in mixed doubles, two of which were with compatriot Mahesh Bhupathi - 2009 Australian Open and 2012 French Open - while the other one was a US Open trophy with Bruno Soares.
Earlier last month, Sania was denied a fairytale ending to her Grand Slam career after she lost in the Australian Open mixed doubles final with Rohan Bopanna.
It was not easy to leave behind his father, battling cancer in a Punjab hospital, but Tejinder Pal Singh Toor remained strong in pursuit of his passion and all the sacrifices made, paid off today with an Asian Games gold medal.
For the first time since kabaddi's Asian Games inclusion in 1990, India will return without a gold medal and it was one of their own who helped plot their downfall.
Heena Sidhu put behind a modest qualification to win her maiden Asian Games individual medal today, her bronze in the women's 10m air pistol taking India's haul at the Jakabaring Shooting Range to nine.
India's nearly unchallenged domination of the Asian Games kabaddi competition ended on Thursday with the men's team failing to make the final for the first time, left shell-shocked and battered by an ever-improving Iran in the semifinals here.
Rahi Sarnobat scripted history by becoming the first Indian woman shooter to win Asiad gold while the wushu players produced their best ever medal haul at the 18th Asian Games on Wednesday.
Four Indian players scored a hat-trick each as the women’s hockey team mauled lowly Kazakhstan 21-0 to notch up its second consecutive win in the Asian Games here on Tuesday.
