Sania Mirza: Star in the making

By Devendra Patel
September 5 2005

Sania Mirza's glorious run in the US Open, which has turned attention in India away from cricket and on to tennis, culminates in the fourth round after a clash with number 1 seed Maria Sharapova.

On serve at 2-3 was the closest in the scoreline Sania Mirza got with Maria Sharapova in the 4th round of the US Open at Arthur Ashe stadium. From then on, Sharapova's ability to find the corners of the court and her own inability to land her first serve saw the aggressive Indian player go down to the top seed 2-6, 1-6.

The match was not as one-sided as the scoreline suggests, but by the end Sania looked outmatched. Sharapova was broken in the fifth game of the first set, and was down three break points in the seventh. Until then the two women looked like equals, with Sania outslugging Sharapova from the baseline, but from that point on it was downhill for Sania.

The match still provided the Indian with an opportunity to showcase her tremendous forehand and fearless attitude to the game. She looked as if she belonged there, playing without a trace of nervousness on the biggest stage against the top player in the world.

With a first serve percentage of 52%, and points won on first serve at 70%, Sania was only winning about 40% of the points. Sania served one ace to Sharapova's six. This exposed her weak second serve, which a top ten player will easily pounce upon.

The matchup also demonstrated another area that needs improvement: her mobility on-court. Sharapova looked fitter and faster by comparison. Critics have pointed to the high number of unforced errors, but that is a direct result of the aggressive approach Sania takes to the court. Over time, she will learn to use the court better than to just over-power her opponents. This will bring her unforced errors down.

Sania has had a wonderful US Open. In her own words, she "impressed herself" with her performance here, and everyone else as well by reaching the final 16 in a Grand Slam. If she keeps working on the serve and fitness, she will have even better outings, here in New York and elsewhere.