Telangana Chief Minister K. Chandrasekhar Rao on Thursday presented a cheque of Rs.1 crore to tennis ace Sania Mirza for winning the US Open mixed doubles trophy recently.
Mr. Rao gave away the cheque to Sania when she called on him at the Secretariat here on Thursday. The Chief Minister wished her success in the upcoming tournaments in Japan and China.
It was in July that the State Government had announced that Sania would be Telangana’s brand ambassador, and given her Rs.1 crore towards preparations for the US Open.
Speaking on the occasion, Mr. Rao wished that she spread the image of the State, and particularly that of ‘Brand Hyderabad’, across the globe.
He complimented her for being the top-ranked woman tennis player in the country and for winning three grand slam mixed doubles titles, including the recent US Open. Sania had bagged 2012 French Open and 2009 Australian Open titles with Mahesh Bhupathi, while she won the US Open title partnering Brazilian Bruno Soares. Sania and Soares shared the prize money of $150,000.
Upon her return from the US, Sania had dedicated her title to the people of Telangana and the country.
Talking to reporters later, she thanked the State Government for its cooperation and support and said she would try hard to bring glory to Telangana by winning more titles in future.
