Sania Mirza’s journey with the Grand Slam tournament is almost over. Australian Open is her last Grand Slam event. Sania and her partner Ana Danilina crashed out of the tournament after losing in the second round of women’s doubles on Sunday. Sania’s hope of winning her last event now rests on Rohan Bopanna, her mixed doubles partner.
Sania and Kazakhstan’s Anna Danilina were defeated by Alison Van Uytvanck of Belgium and Anhelina Kalinina of Ukraine 4-6, 6-4, 2-6 in the second round of women’s doubles. Sania and Ana defeated Dalma Gulfi and Bernarda Pera in the first round. Meanwhile, India’s hopes are still alive in mixed doubles.
On Saturday, the pair of Sania and Rohan Bopanna made it to the second round by defeating Jamie Fourlis and Luke Saville 7-5, 6-3 in one hour and 14 minutes. In this match, Sania and Bopanna made a strong comeback after being broken in the fourth game, winning 6 out of the next 8 games to take the first set. Both maintained their hold in the second set as well.
Men’s doubles also lost in the second round
Sania Mirza has won a total of 6 Grand Slam titles in her career, with 3 Mixed Doubles and 3 Women’s Doubles. She won Wimbledon and US Open in Women’s Doubles in 2015 and Australian Open in 2016. Sania played in the final of the French Open in 2011. The pair of Sania and Rohan Bopanna won the mixed doubles title at the French Open in 2017. At the same time, in 2009, Sania teamed up with Mahesh Bhupathi and won the Australian Open Mixed Doubles Championship.
Meanwhile, talking about the men’s doubles, the pair of Jeevan Nedunchezhiyan and N Sriram Balaji, who entered the Australia Open as alternates, lost 4-6, 4-6 to France’s Jeremy Chardy and Fabrice Martin in the second round, ending India’s challenge in men’s doubles. Balaji and Jeevan, the duo who finished as runners-up at the Maharashtra Open, had stunned fifth seeds Ivan Dodig and Austin Krajicek in the opening round on Saturday.
