Sania Mirza Wins French Mixed Doubles

By Parvez Fatteh, Founder of http://sportingummah.com, sports@muslimobserver.com

Sania Mirza and Mahesh Bhupathi hold the French Open mixed doubles trophy.

The all-Indian combination of Sania Mirza and Mahesh Bhupathi clinched their second Grand Slam mixed doubles title as a team this past week, beating the unseeded duo of Klaudia Jans-Ignacik of Poland and Santiago Gonzalez of Mexico 7-6 (7-3), 6-1 in the finals of the French Open. Bhupathi declared that the twosome “were the team to beat”. Over the fortnight, Mirza was dominant from the back court while Bhupathi was sharp at the net. Now, they make-up one of the best returning teams on the Tour. Sania and Bhupathi won their first Grand Slam title together in 2009 at the Australian Open.

After the match, Mirza told the gathering, “It’s Mahesh’s birthday today and I am glad we won because now I don’t have to think of a gift for him.” Mirza called Bhupathi one of the best doubles players ever, said, “He’s a very close friend and we share great chemistry on court, lifting each other’s spirits and games when the chips are down. We have shown once again that we are a tough team to beat. I am hopeful about getting a wild card for the Olympics.” Mirza’s French Open success did not improve her current standing in regards to next month’s Olympics, as she remains outside the top 10 (currently number 12) in individual doubles rankings and will require a wild card in order to gain entry.

The Indian pair, who took home euros 100,000 for the win, will play at Wimbledon together and if they get lucky, the Olympics too. Mirza added, “This title is even more special as there have been moments in the last five years (in which I’ve undergone three surgeries), when I felt I might never be able to play again.”

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