Sania Mirza may have broken up with her former women's doubles partner Martina Hingis, with whom she won 14 titles in 16 matches and ran up a 41-game winning streak. But that didn't keep the 29-year-old from winning the Cincinnati Open with her new partner, Barbora Strycova of the Czech Republic.
In the process, Mirza became the sole No. 1 women's doubles tennis player in the world, with her former partner Hingis slipping to No. 2.
Ironically, Mirza and Strycova beat Hingis and her new partner Coco Vandeweghe of the US 7-5, 6-4 in the final, a victory that enabled the Indian player's ranking. She did admit that it was strange facing her former partner for the first time since they split up. Mirza told ESPN, "We played each other in the final, which is of course the best time to play each other. It was not the easiest situation, it is a bit weird."
The Hyderabadi ace also stated that the prolific "Santina" partnership is a closed chapter and that she is looking to script an exiting new future with her Czech partner. She said, "We had a great partnership but it was time to move on and we have moved on. We've both had a great tournament. I have to look forward and I have to focus all my energy on this partnership which is obviously doing great."
Going into the final, it was Hingis and Vandeweghe who held the edge, with the former winning a silver medal with compatriot Timea Bacsinszky, less than a week ago in Brazil.
Mirza and Strycova were outplayed in the first set, and were down 1-5. But Hingis and Vendeweghe's early form petered out, and they lost in straight sets.
