It isn’t often that you have fairy tales in doubles tennis, but on Saturday evening there was one. Twenty-nine year old Sania Mirza proved that she is the rightful world number one in women’s doubles by winning her first Wimbledon title, and she did so with the woman who last won a title there 17 years ago. As the two embraced, one couldn’t help but wonder for whom the moment was sweeter.
As the sun went down at London SW19, the Indo-Swiss pair came back from a set down and a 5-2 deficit in the final set to defeat second seeds Ekaterina Makarova and Elena Vesnina of Russia. They took the second set in a tiebreak, but were quickly broken in the third.
The Russians were serving for the championships and were two points from winning the title when Hingis and Mirza broke back and levelled the set at 5 games all. The skies were rapidly darkening, and the match was destined for a dramatic finish. Officials were forced to suspend it for ten minutes so they could close the roof and resume under lights.
When the players came back out, Mirza and Hingis won two quick games to take the title. Their delight was almost matched by that of the partisan spectators.
Not an old partnership
Mirza and Hingis teamed up only in March 2015, but enjoyed instant success. They won their very first tournament together without losing more than four games in any set. Following that they won two more titles.
While they didn’t do as well during the clay court season, at Wimbledon they once again proved quite dominant. Watching them play together, it’s not hard to understand their success this year.
While Hingis likes to hover over the net, intercepting volleys with her swift hands and uncanny anticipation, Mirza typically stays at the back of the court from where she hammers groundstrokes. Her forehand in particular is a huge weapon, allowing her to hit winners to end the long rallies that are typical of doubles matches. Mirza’s power from the back of the court is a perfect complement to Hingis’s touch and hands at the net.
Hingis’s comeback
Their win on Saturday was very popular with most of the crowd cheering for them. No doubt many of them simply wanted to see Martina win again. After all she won the girls’ singles title at the tender age of thirteen, and only two years later, she beat Jana Novotna in the final of the ladies’ singles.
In 1998, she teamed up with Novotna to win the ladies’ doubles, but since then she failed to reach another final at the All England Club. All the world loves a comeback. It is always gratifying to see a former champion come out of retirement and win a title again.
Hingis may have been the senior player on the team. And for many fans around the world her comeback may have overshadowed Mirza’s role. But there can be no doubt that without Mirza’s blistering winners none of it would have happened. As Mirza herself famously stated when they won their first event in March, “Names don't do anything. You have to go out and win.”
A happy pair
Hingis and Mirza not only won, they did so while smiling through all their matches. They appear to be having a ball out there and enjoying each other’s company immensely. This refreshing and popular pair is a dream team for Indian fans, and we hope they will continue to build on their success in the months to come.
As for Sania herself, she has had a stellar year in doubles, and will go to New York as a favourite. Let’s also not forget that she reached a career-high ranking of 27 in singles once. Injuries may have originally compelled her to specialise in doubles, but who’s complaining? Not Martina, and not us. Doubles is a pleasure to watch, and with these two at the top, we will be watching.
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As the sun went down at London SW19, the Indo-Swiss pair came back from a set down and a 5-2 deficit in the final set to defeat second seeds Ekaterina Makarova and Elena Vesnina of Russia. They took the second set in a tiebreak, but were quickly broken in the third.
The Russians were serving for the championships and were two points from winning the title when Hingis and Mirza broke back and levelled the set at 5 games all. The skies were rapidly darkening, and the match was destined for a dramatic finish. Officials were forced to suspend it for ten minutes so they could close the roof and resume under lights.
When the players came back out, Mirza and Hingis won two quick games to take the title. Their delight was almost matched by that of the partisan spectators.
Not an old partnership
Mirza and Hingis teamed up only in March 2015, but enjoyed instant success. They won their very first tournament together without losing more than four games in any set. Following that they won two more titles.
While they didn’t do as well during the clay court season, at Wimbledon they once again proved quite dominant. Watching them play together, it’s not hard to understand their success this year.
While Hingis likes to hover over the net, intercepting volleys with her swift hands and uncanny anticipation, Mirza typically stays at the back of the court from where she hammers groundstrokes. Her forehand in particular is a huge weapon, allowing her to hit winners to end the long rallies that are typical of doubles matches. Mirza’s power from the back of the court is a perfect complement to Hingis’s touch and hands at the net.
Hingis’s comeback
Their win on Saturday was very popular with most of the crowd cheering for them. No doubt many of them simply wanted to see Martina win again. After all she won the girls’ singles title at the tender age of thirteen, and only two years later, she beat Jana Novotna in the final of the ladies’ singles.
In 1998, she teamed up with Novotna to win the ladies’ doubles, but since then she failed to reach another final at the All England Club. All the world loves a comeback. It is always gratifying to see a former champion come out of retirement and win a title again.
Hingis may have been the senior player on the team. And for many fans around the world her comeback may have overshadowed Mirza’s role. But there can be no doubt that without Mirza’s blistering winners none of it would have happened. As Mirza herself famously stated when they won their first event in March, “Names don't do anything. You have to go out and win.”
A happy pair
Hingis and Mirza not only won, they did so while smiling through all their matches. They appear to be having a ball out there and enjoying each other’s company immensely. This refreshing and popular pair is a dream team for Indian fans, and we hope they will continue to build on their success in the months to come.
As for Sania herself, she has had a stellar year in doubles, and will go to New York as a favourite. Let’s also not forget that she reached a career-high ranking of 27 in singles once. Injuries may have originally compelled her to specialise in doubles, but who’s complaining? Not Martina, and not us. Doubles is a pleasure to watch, and with these two at the top, we will be watching.
