Making a winning return to the WTA circuit, Sania Mirza reached the doubles quarterfinals of the Qatar Total Open with Slovenian partner Andreja Klepac, here on Monday.
The Indo-Slovenian pair won 6-4 6-7(5) 10-5 against Nadiia Kichenok and Lyudmyla Kichenok of Ukraine in the opening round of the WTA 500 tournament.
It was Sania’s first match in 12 months and incidentally it was at the Doha Open where she played last in February 2020 before pandemic halted the tennis competitions across the world.
Sania herself had recovered from COVID-19 in January this year.
it was at the Doha Open where she played last in February 2020 before the Coronavirus pandemic halted the tennis competitions across the world. It was Nadiia with whom Sania had paired when she returned to competitive tennis after maternity leave and won the Hobart Open in January last year.
In Monday’s game. Sania and her Slovenian partner were down 0-3 in the first set before they bounced back to win it. In fact, the Ukrainian pair was once again on a 3-1 lead but Mirza and Klepac were able to take it to a tiebreaker and win the set.
The contest was then pushed to a Super tie-breaker which the Indian and her partner won 10-5 to claim a spot in the quarterfinals of the tournament.
Back in January, Sania had said that she contracted the virus despite taking all precautions and urged everyone to wear masks and continue washing their hands.
“I was lucky to not have any major symptoms for the most part of it, but I was in isolation and the toughest part was to stay away from my 2 year old and family…this virus is no joke, I took all the precautions as I could but still contracted it ..we must do everything we can to protect our friends and family.. wear your masks,wash your hands and protect yourself and your loved ones..we are in this fight together,” she said.
HIGHLIGHTS
- Sania Mirza paired up with Slovenian Andrej Klepac on her WTA return
- won 6-4 6-7(5) 10-5 against Ukrainian pair of Nadiia Kichenok and Lyudmyla Kichenok
- Mirza and Klepac have claimed a spot in the quarterfinals of the tournament
