Asian Games: Medal in mixed doubles looks realistic for Sania

Sania Mirza, flush with mixed doubles success at the US Open, will look to emulate her feat of winning a medal at every Asian Games she has taken part in. File photo

Asian Games has a special place in the heart of Sania Mirza. It was at the Asian Games in Busan in 2002 that Sania won the mixed doubles bronze with Leander Paes to launch her career.

At 27, ranked No. 7 in the world in doubles, with three mixed doubles titles from the Australian Open, French Open and US Open in her pocket, Sania reviewed her decision after having opted to stick to the professional circuit.

Putting her heart over the mind, she decided to bolster the fragile Indian challenge in the Incheon Games, scheduled to start on September 19.

She has already won six medals in the last three editions of the Asian Games, including the mixed doubles gold with Leander Paes in Doha and the silver with Vishnu Vardhan in Guangzhou.

Can she win another mixed doubles medal, which looks the only realistic chance, remains to be seen (with no disrespect to Ankita Raina and company who have been slugging it out in the lower echelons of the professional circuit).

Sania has been a pioneer in Indian women’s tennis, and was the first Indian, man or woman, to reach the Asian Games singles final, when she beat Li Na of China in the semifinals in Doha. She lost to Zheng Jie of China in the final in three sets then.

The Chinese revolution in world tennis is there for everyone to see with Li Na winning a Grand Slam and staying put in the top-10, and followed energetically by Shuai Peng, Zhang Shuai and Zheng Jie.

The team silver in the 2006 Games has been the only team medal for Indian women and Sania was the architect of that medal with suitable support from Shikha Uberoi.

Even though her place in the year-end championship along with Cara Black of Zimbabwe may look to be assured, Sania would still be attempting to defend the big titles that she had won in Tokyo and Beijing last year.

She will be skipping the $2.4 million Wuhan Open to compete in the Asian Games in Korea.

Weakened team

With the men’s team weakened in the absence of double gold medallist Somdev Devvarman and the doubles top stars Leander Paes and Rohan Bopanna set to focus on the professional circuit, the onus will be on Yuki Bhambri to lead the men with a good fare.

The former world No.1 junior and Youth Olympics silver medallist, Yuki has the game and physique to match the best.

Yuki may play doubles with Divij Sharan with whom he won a Challenger recently, leaving Saketh Myneni and Sanam Singh to continue their successful association.

Sanam had won the doubles gold last time with Somdev, and has been in top form, as he also went down fighting in the second qualifying round of the US Open, like Yuki.

With his big serve and a smart game, it could well be Saketh playing the mixed doubles with Sania.

Even though, the Japanese, energised by world No. 8 Kei Nishikori who reached the final of the US Open, the Chinese Taipei, Kazakhstan, Uzbekistan, not to forget China, have quality players, the Indian boys can definitely aspire for some medals.

It may be very difficult to match India’s rich haul of two gold, a silver and two bronze medals from the last edition.

That had been accomplished by Somdev and company, in the absence of Paes, Bhupathi and Bopanna who stayed put in the professional circuit in 2010.

Missing a chance

It was a great chance to field players like Jeevan Nedunchezhiyan and R. Ramkumar, who have both broken in the top-300 of the world, but the late withdrawal of Paes and Bopanna meant that there would not be any replacements for the team. That will mean an added load on the four men, instead of six sharing duty, but it may still bring out the best in Yuki and company.