SaniaMirza

Tennis icon Sania Mirza celebrated her 20th birthday on 15th November quietly, spending most of the day with family members and close friends. Back from a recent pilgrimage to Mecca, Sania nearly took the day off on 15th. She started the day with a light practice session, with her South African coach Heath Mathew, at the SAAP Tennis complex here and devoted the rest of the time to unwind with near and dear ones.

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Admitting that fitness was not her forte, Indian ace Sania Mirza said she will continue to make up for that by playing aggressive shots. "Fitness is not my forte. I cannot be as fit as say (Martina) Hingis or (Elena) Dementieva. Yes, I am going to be more patient. But I have to go for shots, I'll get some, I'll miss some," Sania told newspersons minutes after scripting a convincing straight-set win over Rushmi Chakravarthi in the opening round of the Sunfeast Open. The 19-year-old Sania, who is battling lacklustre form and plummeting rankings, said she was looking forward to a possible battle with top seed Hingis in the semi-final of the tournament. "I am looking forward to that as well," Sania said, when scribes drew her attention to Hingis' comments that she was eagerly waiting to play Sania.

"But just as Hingis has said, we both have to get to the last four first," she said. Sania did not agree with her critics that it has been a bad year for her so far. "I am going to have some good years, some bad years. I don't think this year is as bad as some people have said." Sania, who shot into prominence over the last two years with some scintillating performances, said that she was now a more mature player. To a query, Sania expressed her confidence that a revolution was brewing in women's tennis in the country. "It may take five years, 20 years of even 25 years. See the number of girls playing tennis now. See the crowd that came here today to watch the matches." On her pairing with Leander Paes in Doha Asian Games mixed doubles, she said "it was decided by the selection committee. I don't mind whether it is Mahesh, Leander or Rohan. I think it is more important to bring medals for the country."

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Sania Mirza believes that the Asian Hopman Cup team championship featuring the best players from each country, to be held here from November 22 to 26, should be exciting and very tough.
In an informal chat with the media after the Sports Minister M. Satyanarayana Rao gave details about the event, Sania said that it was always a great experience to partner Leander Paes with whom she had won the bronze medal in the Asian Games.
China, Japan, Chinese Taipei, Thailand, Uzbekistan besides the host will be in the fray for the event.
"Any international event is going to be tough and the Hopman Cup is no different. If you remember that when China fielded its team for the Fed Cup championship its lowest ranked players were in the 70s and 80s in the world rankings," she said.
Sania said that the presence of big names from Thailand such as Srichaphan and Tanasugarn should bring the crowds to the Fateh Maidan Tennis Complex. "Personally, it is a great privilege to play in front of home crowd and I do look at the Hopman Cup as the ideal warm-up event before the Doha Asian Games," she added.

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Sania Mirza made a minor recovery from her recent slump as she moved up one place to 67th in the latest WTA Rankings issued on Monday.
The Indian ace, has seen her drop out of the top-50, has 382 points in the singles list.
However, Sania continues to move up in the doubles ranking and is now placed at a career-high 26th in the list with 1070 points.
Sania's current doubles standing is an improvement of one place as compared to last week.
Among the other Indians in the list, US-based Shikha Uberoi (128.25) follows Sania way behind at the 211th spot, however, has gained two places in the doubles list to be 126th spot.

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Third seed Sania Mirza was defeated by lower ranked Russian opponent in the quarterfinals of the US$ 145,000 Tier IV Tashkent Open Tennis tournament .
The Indian, playing her third successive WTA quarterfinal, was defeated by sixth seed and world number 58 Olga Poutchkova 4-6, 6-4, 0-6.
Top seed Maria Elena Camerin of Italy also lost 0-6, 1-6 to Victoria Azarenka of Belarus in the quarterfinal.

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India's Sania Mirza defeated Hana Sromova of the Czech Republic in straight sets to moved into the quarter-finals of the $145,000 Tashkent Open tennis tournament, her third successive Tour quarter-final.
Sania, seeded third, had a scrappy game but managed to win 6-4, 7-5 in the second round match.
After some initial jitters, the Indian seemed to have the game under control when she served for the first set 5-2 up. But she lost that game wasting two set points.
She, however, made no mistake when serving for the set the second time around but her inconsistency continued to plague her in the second set as well.
After an early break, Sania found herself 2-5 down and Sromova had three set points before being broken in the eighth game.
She somewhat steadied her game and the forehand winners flowed a bit more easily as she won the last five games to walk away with the match.
'I'm just happy to go through,' Sania said after the match.
'I started playing better in the second set but I was lucky. She (Sromova) had so many set points. It could have gone either way.'
Sania will now play Olga Poutchkova of Russia who defeated Olivia Sachez of France 7-5, 6-1 in another second round match.
On her semi-final match, she said: 'It's going to be a good match. She's one of the players I've known longest, five-six years and we play a similar kind of game.'
This will be their first meeting on court.
In other second round matches Victoria Azarenka of Belarus defeated Slovakia's Dominika Cibulkova 6-4, 6-4, while China's Sun Tiantian beat Tatiana Poutchek of Belarus 6-4, 6-4.
Sania, ranked 55th in the international rankings, had beaten Pauline Parmentier of France 6-3, 6-1 in the first round Wednesday.
She reached the quarter-finals of the Korean Open at Seoul last month defeating Martina Hingis but failed to get past Spaniard Virginia Ruana Pascual.
Earlier last month she lost in the quarter-finals of the Sunfeast Open in Kolkata to Hingis.

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Sania Mirza's dream run at the Korea Open came to an end when she went down to Virginia Ruano Pascual of Spain in the women's singles quarter-finals at the US $145,000 tournament in Seoul .
The 19-year-old Indian, who shocked top seed Martina Hingis in the second round, lost to doubles specialist Pascual 7-6, 4-6, 7-6 at the Olympic Park tennis centre.
The deciding set, which the Indian lost 7-3 in the tie-breaker, was marred a series of chair over-rules.
Sania averted two match-points, but eventually succumbed to the guile of the 33-year old Pascual.
Sania said she gave her best but her 72-ranked rival proved the better player in the near three-hour contest.
"Losing the deciding set in tie-break is tough. I don't think anyone can ask for more than that," she said.
Pascual, who has three WTA Tour singles to her credit, besides 33 in doubles, played a steady game and capitalised on the unforced errors by Hyderabadi girl.

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Sania Mirza has beaten former world No 1 Martina Hingis 4-6, 6-0, 6-4 in Korea Open and taken revenge for her Sunfeast Open semi-final defeat.
Sania lost the first set to the Hingis, who is currently ranked 8, but came back strongly taking six games in a row to win the second set 6-0 in the $145,000 tournament .

From then on Sania was unstoppable winning the third set and the match 4-6, 6-0, 6-4 to send the No 1 seed out of the tournament in Seoul and enter the third round.
Sania had overcame an opening set deficit to thrash the Korean wild card Lee Ye-Ra 3-6, 6-0, 6-0 in the first round.
Hingis had beaten Dane qualifier Caroline Wozniacki 6-3, 6-2 to set up another encounter with Sania.
This is Sania's third meeting with Hingis and also her best performance against a top seed this year.
She had lost to Hingis on the last two occasions earlier in the year.

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Sania Mirza and Liezel Huber (of South Africa) won the doubles title at the Sunfeast Open, beating the third-seeded pair of Ukraine's Yulia Beygelzimer and Yuliana Fedak 6-4, 6-0 in the final. Sania and Huber had entered the final with a 6-3, 6-2 victory over Algelique Widjaja and Hana Sromova.
Sania had also made it to the semi-finals in singles, before being humbled by eventual winner and former World No 1 Martina Hingis. It was her best showing in an otherwise indifferent year that has seen her singles ranking slump to No 70 from a career-high of 31 in October 2005.It was the pair's second doubles title of the year.

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What did you want to become when you were a kid?

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Indian teen Idol Sania Mirza is endorsing Sprite, a thurst quencher drink from Coca Cola India.Mr.Vikas Gupta, Vice President Marketing of Coca-Cola India said "yes, Sprite is a no nonsense brand - with an in- your-face and chilled out approach to life. Our communication has always exalted the brand as the thirst quencher, and baaki sab bakwaas. The current commercial retains this theme, yet interestingly incorporates Sania Mirza into the story."Further Mr.Gupta asserted the reason for choosing Sania Mirza, "Like the masses we at Coca-Cola India too admire Sania not only for her game but also for her direct speak and unpretentious approach to her achievements."

Sania Mirza said, "Honestly, Sprite has always been my favorite drink" and she explained "It has stood for a refreshing youthful attitude - one that I identify with. It's got this cutting edge straightforwardness. I relate to it since it is similar to my outlook in life. Being a part of Sprite's campaign is quite exciting for me."The commercial has been produced by Sabal Sheikhawat and his production company Big Picture Company. Ogilvy & Mather Delhi is the creative agency for Sprite. The ads would be in print, TV commercials and outdoors. The ad delivers an honest message through a cutting edge humorous scenario. A quirky, pretentious teen age guy rudely discovers that Sprite quenches Sania Mirza's thirst and refreshes her, and has nothing to do with her success.The company believes that this campaign will connect with today's youth, all of whom have realised that they need to work hard to achieve their desired goals instead of sitting around waiting for a miracle to happen.

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India's tennis sensation Sania Mirza and model-turned-actress Lara Duttal shared the hot seat in a Children's Day special on the popular TV game show Kaun Banega Crorepati (KBC).

"I must say it was a good experience," says the host with the most Amitabh Bachchan about the latest celebrity special on KBC, bringing together the iconic Sania Mirza and Lara Dutta.Revealing details of the unexpected synthesis of sports and cinema, Star's COO Samir Nair says, "We've got Sania and Lara together as a Children's day special. Why these two? Well, Sania needs no justification. She's a youth icon, and though she's the queen of endorsements, she needs no endorsement. Getting her on the hot seat was a challenge, and we proved equal to it."

"We needed a spunky spirited woman of today to complement Sania on the hot seat. Lara fitted the bill perfectly. She's young articulate and intelligent. They're very very watchable together. Both Lara and Sania represent the spirit of youth and are role models for kids this children's day. Like Sania , Lara started very young. She became Miss Universe when she was in her teens. Ask Mr Bachchan, Lara and Sania are dynamite together." The Children's day special to be telecast on Sunday November 13, has many interesting interludes, not only with the two star guests but also with their respective families. Says Samir Nair, "Sania's father is on the show along with her mother and sister. Everyone always wanted to know what Mr Mirza is like. Mr Bachchan finds out for us. AB talks quite extensively with Sania's dad about many subjects including her money.

"Sania's dad reveals how expensive it's for the star-daughter's entourage to be carted from one international venue for the game to another. "But the best part of the show is the chemistry between the two ladies…very very appealing." How much prize money do the dynamic duo finally obtain? No one's telling. But Sania and Lara apparently go up to the grand 1 crore prize ,and then lose money by giving the wrong answer.Here is the conversation which Amitabh had with Sania and Lara.

Amitabh Bachchan (AB): Tell us something about your charities.

Lara Dutta: I am playing for Mission Udaan AFWWA Fund for Special Children (Mission Udaan, Inside the Indian Air Force is a Series on National Geographic Channel starting November 20.) Sania Mirza: I am playing for Concern India and Save a Heart Children.

AB: You both started your careers very young, as kids. Sania, you started at the age of . Imran saheb (to Sania's father) how did you know it is tennis for her?

Imran Mirza (Sania's father): She showed interest in tennis from the very first day and I started encouraging her.

AB: Lara, you too started very young?
Lara: Yes, when I was seven years old I saw the Miss World contest on TV. As soon as the winner was crowned I ran into the bathroom, put a bucket upside down, stood over it, and enacted the last bit of the contest but I never ever thought I'd be among the Miss Universe contestants and be a part of the film industry.

AB: That too at a very young age of 1 years!

Lara: I first modelled at 1. Amitabh Bachchan: What message do you have for today's kids?
Lara: There is a lot of pressure on kids to compete.Whatever you choose in life, choose what makes you feel good. Go after your dream.

AB: Sania, there are a lot of kids who look up to you as an icon. They would want to know what you think of today's kids?

Sania: Kids come up to me and say, ``how do you choose between sports and studies.'' All I'd like to tell them is sports can also be a profession. I went after my dream and want everyone to go after his or hers.
AB: You are modelling, doing a lot of ads.

Sania: It requires a lot of patience. Make-up...everything takes two to four to six takes... I am not good, but now I am learning.
AB: You have become an example for the girl child. Little girls are often neglected. It is believed that a girl child is not as important as a boy child. You both are wonderful examples. Would you like to say something?
Sania: I would like to say, hum kisi se kam nahi. My father says he has two daughters and one is a world champion. Concern India works especially for the girl child.

Lara: I have made several trips to the United Nations as a goodwill ambassador and made documentaries on topics like female infanticide, which is rampant here. All I'd like to say is treasure the women you have in your life.

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2006 Bangalore Open (Hyderabad Open in the previous years) doubles: Won the tournament (partnering with Liezel Huber)
2005 Japan Open: reaches the semi-finals of women's singles and doubles (partnering Shahar Peer of Israel); reaches her highest doubles ranking of 114.
2005 US Open: reaches 4th round by defeating Marion Bartoli of France in straight sets (7-6(4), 6-4) before losing to top seed Maria Sharapova 6-2, 6-1. Voted Best Player of the day on the 3rd day for winning her 2nd round match despite bleeding toes.
2005 Forest Hills Women's Tennis Classic, New York: reaches her second WTA final but fails to win.
2005 Acura Classic: upsets Nadia Petrova in 2nd round but loses in the third round to Akiko Morigami of Japan (2-6,6-4,4-6). By beating the 8th-ranked Petrova, she breaks into top 50 in world rankings for the first time ever.
2005 Dubai Tennis Championships: Upset reigning US Open Champion Svetlana Kuznetsova 6-4, 6-2 in 2nd round to reach the quarter-finals
2005 Hyderabad Open singles: Won the tournament defeating Alyona Bondarenko of Ukraine 6-4, 5-7, 6-3 in the final and became the first Indian woman to capture a WTA singles title.
2005 Australian Open singles: 3rd round: Became first Indian woman to reach the 3rd round of a Grand Slam tournament.
2004 Hyderabad Open doubles: Won the tournament (partnering with Liezel Huber) to become the youngest Indian to win a WTA or ATP tour title and the first Indian woman to capture a WTA tour title. entered the singles as wild card but lost in the first round to the eventual winner Nicole Pratt.
2003 Wimbledon Championships Juniors doubles: Won the tournament (partnering with Alisa Kleybanova) to become the youngest Indian and the first Indian woman to win a junior Grand Slam title.
2003 Afro-Asian Games: won four gold medals - Women's singles, Mixed doubles (with Mahesh Bhupathi), Women's doubles and Women's team events (the last two golds in partnership with Rushmi Chakravarthy) After losing to Martina Hingis in Kolkata's Sunfeast Open, Sania defeats Hingis at the Korean Open on 28 September 2006.

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Name: Sania MirzaBirth
Date: 15 Nov 1986
Birth Place: Mumbai, India
Residence: Hyderabad, India
Height: 5'7 1/2" (1.53m)
Weight: 130 lbs. (59kg)
Plays: Right Handed (Double Handed Backhand)
Favorite Surface: Hard
Coach: C.G.K. Bhupathi
Age Began Tennis: Six
Personal Interests: Swimming, Music, Cricket
Favorite Music And Band: Hindi Remixes, Hip hop, Eminem
Favorite Color: Red and Black
Favorite Movie: Ocean’s 11
Favorite Actor: Brad Pitt and Hugh Grant
First Event Abroad: ITF Junior, Lahore, Pakistan
Dislikes: Apples & Bananas
Favorite Food: Briyani
Favorite Dress: Salwar, Jeans
Award: Was given the Arjuna Award for the year 2004 from the Government of India
Ambition in tennis: To be in the Top 20 of the World.
Favourite Player: Steffi Graf

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