Sania Mirza ended her illustrious career with a first round exit at the WTA Dubai Duty-Free Championships on Tuesday. The Indian tennis veteran, who turned pro in 2003, bowed out of the match after a straight sets loss alongside her American partner, Madison Keys, to the formidable Russian duo of Veronika Kudermetova and Liudmila Samsonova.
Veronika, 25, is ranked 11th in singles and 5th in doubles, while Liudmila is 13th in doubles. Sania's remarkable career has seen her amass six Grand Slam titles, including three women's doubles with Swiss legend Martina Hingis.
She also won two of her three mixed doubles with compatriot Mahesh Bhupathi (2009 Australian Open and 2012 French Open) and one with Bruno Soares at the US Open.The match began with both teams trading breaks at a swift pace, with the score locked at 4-4 in the opening set. The Russians broke the pair of Sania and Keys for a 5-4 lead, before comfortably serving out the set.
Sania and her partner were broken in the very first game of the second set and, from there, it was one-way traffic as they were bageled. Sania Mirza's incredible career has come to an end, leaving behind a remarkable legacy in the world of tennis.
New Round
Recently, the women's team of Royal Challengers Bangalore announced Sania Mirza as the team's mentor moving forward. "While our coaching staff handle the cricket side of things, we couldn’t think of anyone better to guide our women cricketers about excelling under pressure. Join us in welcoming the mentor of our women's team, a champion athlete and a trailblazer! Namaskara, Sania Mirza!," RCB's Tweeted.
RCB also shared a video interview with Sania Mirza stating, "The pioneer in Indian sports for women, a youth icon, someone who has played Bold and broken barriers throughout her career, and a champion on and off the field. We are proud to welcome Sania Mirza as the mentor of the RCB women’s cricket team."
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Whatever field Mirza decides to step into next, it is quite clear, she will, as she has always done, make the most of it.
