Mumbai, January 21,2005
By Our Bollywood Reporter Ms Divya Chawla
India earned itself a slice of rare history when 18-yr old Sania Mirza stormed into the third round of the Australian Open tennis championship. But can Sania's back-hand tame Serena?
By Our Bollywood Reporter Ms Divya Chawla
India earned itself a slice of rare history when 18-yr old Sania Mirza stormed into the third round of the Australian Open tennis championship. But can Sania's back-hand tame Serena?
She may have matched Nirupama
Vaidyanathan's 1998 feat by defeating Petra Mandula of Hungary 6-2, 6-1 in just
50 minutes, but can Sania become teenage India's heart-throb when she battles
Serena Williams at 10.30 am (IST) in Melbourne on Friday?
The odds are stacked against her, but
with a little bit of luck just a little bit Sania may crown herself Queen of
India. Let's look at the two competitors and their strengths even as we get
ready for the sensational clash.
SANIA THE
CHALLENGER
Superwork:
Luck and hardwork have favoured Sania till now under the care of Mahesh
Bhupathi's father C .G .K Bhupathi who has helped her pursue her tennis dream.
But the third round of the Australian Open could be thrice as tough.
Hard-drill:
Yet the teenager has gone through all the initial hard-drill: hard and long
practice sessions, match tension, lengthy tour travel, and the ambition to take
India, and herself, into the global club.
100% support:
Even the magician Tendulkar would not have had the kind of support that is
building up for Sania in India. If hearts and minds can win matches, then Sania
has already won hers'. What Sania must contend with is not emotion but power in
Serena the Bully.
Tennis
pluses: Tonight, as she prepares for the clash, Sania must focus on her
back-hand and return to quell Serena.
SERENA THE BULLY
Powerplay: As
for her opponent Serena, much can be said. She has been one of the most exciting
players in tennis. With Venus, her older sister, she forms the prodigal tennis
pair that has been stealing headlines for the right reason: triumph of power.
Couture-capers: Fashion is just as much a sport for Serena
as tennis. She has come to be known for her bold trend -setting designer
outfits, the record being a $12 -million contract with Puma. Anybody would be
more than intimidated by them.
Pressure-pro:
And what works most in favour of Serena is that she is not new to the pressures
of tennis. Even as a child, Serena received national press coverage and promises
of lucrative product-endorsement deals. She turned professional at the age of
14.
Hot record:
She's the advantage of being trained at the Ric Macci's Florida tennis academy,
which boasts of pasts of students like Jennifer Capriati and Mary Pierce. What
adds to her acclaim is that by 1999 itself she did not have a loss against any
top 5 players, including Martina Hingis, Lindsay Davenport, Venus Williams,
Steffi Graf, Monica Seles, Mary Pierce and Aranxta Sanchez-Vicario.
The best: She
is popularly perceived as the best in women's tennis, even if she does not hold
any Grand Slam titles or the No .1 ranking. Which is the only factor that works
in favour of Sania.
THE HOPE
Far from losing heart at India's
challenge, Sania Mirza deserves every bit of encouragement she can recieve.
Sania now stands on a world stage
symbolising the Indian middle-class girl's dream of making her country
proud.
Divya Chawla
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