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.
An athlete not old enough to grasp the enormity of his feat struck gold, a seasoned but scarred pro found his silver lining and a man here for hobby collected a bronze as shooters dominated India’s medal haul in the Asian Games on Tuesday.
Vinesh Phogat on Monday became the first Indian woman wrestler to win an Asian Games gold after she defeated Japan's Yuki Irie in the 50 kilogram women's Freestyle final here.
Star javelin thrower Neeraj Chopra was on Friday named the Indian contingent’s flag-bearer for the Asian Games opening ceremony to be held on August 18 in Jakarta.
Riding high on the runners-up performance at last month's Champions Trophy, former India hockey captain Manpreet Singh is targeting the gold medal at the upcoming Asian Games.
"I don't want her to think of a medal from the outset. She is coming back after an injury and it won't be easy. I want her to reach the finals. That is the first target," Nandi told IANS.
This tournament was an absolute treat for any basketball fans, especially those interested in seeing the talent and progression displayed by South Asian athletes.
