Mirza's fairy-tale run ends<\/p>\n
Sania Mirza arrived at the Australian Open last week with little
\nfanfare and modest ambitions. On Friday, she left as a star in
\nher homeland and with the praise of Serena Williams.<\/p>\n
Mirza, capitalizing on a wild-card entry, became the first
\nIndian woman to make the third round of a Grand Slam tournament
\nwhen she beat Hungarian Petra Mandula on Wednesday.<\/p>\n
That win earned her a shot at six-time Grand Slam winner
\nWilliams, who, as expected, won Friday's third-round matchup 6-1,
\n6-4.<\/p>\n
But Williams came away impressed by what she had seen from the
\n18-year-old Mirza, who lives in Hyderabad.<\/p>\n
\"She has a very solid game, especially to be so young, she's
\nonly 18,\" Williams said of Mirza, ranked 166. \"I definitely see a
\nvery bright future for her.\"<\/p>\n
As the pair shook hands at the net after the match, Williams
\nspent some time talking to Mirza.<\/p>\n
\"I told her to keep up the good work because it was good to
\nsee someone from India for the first time do so well ... I told
\nher to keep fighting,\" said Williams.<\/p>\n
Mirza, who started playing tennis as a six-year-old after
\ninitially being unable to get any coaching because she was too
\nsmall, overcame a nervous start to produce a stronger display in
\nthe second set.<\/p>\n
\"I've had butterflies in my stomach for the last two days and
\nlast night I couldn't sleep properly,\" Mirza said.<\/p>\n
But she settled into her rhythm in the second set and twice
\nsaved match points before Williams, seeded seventh, sealed the
\nwin with a second service ace down the middle.<\/p>\n
\"The first set I was really tight but I had fun,\" said Mirza,
\non her first trip to a Grand Slam tournament.<\/p>\n
She said the second set showed her she could match it with the
\ntop players.<\/p>\n
\"I had so many chances and that's where it counts and makes
\nthe difference between the top 10 and rest,\" said Mirza, a former
\nWimbledon junior doubles champion who turned professional in
\n2003.<\/p>\n
\"She just made some amazing shots when she needed to. In the
\nsecond set I did match her to a certain point.\"<\/p>\n
Mirza's progress into the latter part of the opening week of
\nthe Open has made her a hit in her homeland, with her exploits
\ndominating nightly newscasts and the front pages of newspapers.<\/p>\n
The only other Indian woman to win a match at a Grand Slam is
\nNirvpama Vaidanathan, who advanced to the second round of the
\n1998 Australian Open. Top players from other countries in Asia
\ninclude Japan's Kimiko Date in the mid-1990s and Indonesia's
\nYayuk Basuki.<\/p>\n
Not even the pain of a sore left ankle, which she hurt in
\npractice two weeks ago and for which she was taking painkillers,
\ncould dull her excitement.<\/p>\n
\"It's been an overwhelming experience,\" said Mirza. \"I'm
\nloving it.\"<\/p>\n
Mirza's parents have been on the annual haj pilgrimage to
\nMecca but have kept up with their daughter's performances by
\nmobile telephone.<\/p>\n
\"I spoke to them a little while ago. They haven't been able to
\nwatch my matches but we've kept in touch,\" she said.<\/p>\n
Mirza lost in the qualifying rounds of an Open leadup event in
\nHobart, Australia. She said her aim had been to win a round here
\nand hopefully end 2005 in the top 100.<\/p>\n
Now she is raising her expectations.<\/p>\n
\"I learned to play with pressure,\" she said. \"My goal was to
\nbe in the top 100 by the end of the year. I think I'd like to
\nchange that to the top 50.\" -- AP<\/p>",
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