Mirza's fairy-tale run ends

Mirza's fairy-tale run ends

Sania Mirza arrived at the Australian Open last week with little fanfare and modest ambitions. On Friday, she left as a star in her homeland and with the praise of Serena Williams.

Mirza, capitalizing on a wild-card entry, became the first Indian woman to make the third round of a Grand Slam tournament when she beat Hungarian Petra Mandula on Wednesday.

That win earned her a shot at six-time Grand Slam winner Williams, who, as expected, won Friday's third-round matchup 6-1, 6-4.

But Williams came away impressed by what she had seen from the 18-year-old Mirza, who lives in Hyderabad.

"She has a very solid game, especially to be so young, she's only 18," Williams said of Mirza, ranked 166. "I definitely see a very bright future for her."

As the pair shook hands at the net after the match, Williams spent some time talking to Mirza.

"I told her to keep up the good work because it was good to see someone from India for the first time do so well ... I told her to keep fighting," said Williams.

Mirza, who started playing tennis as a six-year-old after initially being unable to get any coaching because she was too small, overcame a nervous start to produce a stronger display in the second set.

"I've had butterflies in my stomach for the last two days and last night I couldn't sleep properly," Mirza said.

But she settled into her rhythm in the second set and twice saved match points before Williams, seeded seventh, sealed the win with a second service ace down the middle.

"The first set I was really tight but I had fun," said Mirza, on her first trip to a Grand Slam tournament.

She said the second set showed her she could match it with the top players.

"I had so many chances and that's where it counts and makes the difference between the top 10 and rest," said Mirza, a former Wimbledon junior doubles champion who turned professional in 2003.

"She just made some amazing shots when she needed to. In the second set I did match her to a certain point."

Mirza's progress into the latter part of the opening week of the Open has made her a hit in her homeland, with her exploits dominating nightly newscasts and the front pages of newspapers.

The only other Indian woman to win a match at a Grand Slam is Nirvpama Vaidanathan, who advanced to the second round of the 1998 Australian Open. Top players from other countries in Asia include Japan's Kimiko Date in the mid-1990s and Indonesia's Yayuk Basuki.

Not even the pain of a sore left ankle, which she hurt in practice two weeks ago and for which she was taking painkillers, could dull her excitement.

"It's been an overwhelming experience," said Mirza. "I'm loving it."

Mirza's parents have been on the annual haj pilgrimage to Mecca but have kept up with their daughter's performances by mobile telephone.

"I spoke to them a little while ago. They haven't been able to watch my matches but we've kept in touch," she said.

Mirza lost in the qualifying rounds of an Open leadup event in Hobart, Australia. She said her aim had been to win a round here and hopefully end 2005 in the top 100.

Now she is raising her expectations.

"I learned to play with pressure," she said. "My goal was to be in the top 100 by the end of the year. I think I'd like to change that to the top 50." -- AP