Sania Mirza exits Women's Doubles, sight on Mixed Doubles at Wimbledon

This is her last appearance at the prestigious tournament.

There is not a bigger name than Sania Mirza in Indian tennis when it comes to women athletes. The legendary player has won multiple Grand Slams and made the country proud on multiple occasions on the biggest platforms. She is currently playing at the 2022 Wimbledon Championships, the oldest tournament in the sport of tennis. This is also her last year on tour before an impending retirement as a professional. 

Disappointingly, Sania Mirza and her partner Lucie Hradecka went down in the opening round of the Women’s Doubles on Wednesday. The six-time Grand Slam winner from India and her Czech partner were sixth seeds coming into the tournament. There were a lot of hopes riding on their shoulders but the duo could not pull out a good performance when it mattered the most.

They had a tricky opening round match against an unseeded duo of Magdalena Frech of Poland and Brazil’s Beatriz Haddad Maia. Eventually, the two-time Olympic medallist Mirza lost the tie along with her partner by a 6-4, 4-6, 2-6 score in two hours and four minutes. Mirza and Hradecka were on course for a comfortable win after securing the first set. But, their opponents found an extra gear and dominated the proceedings from the second set onwards. 

Focus on Mixed Doubles

The first-round defeat ends any hopes of a second Women’s Doubles Wimbledon title for Sania Mirza. However, she will hope to record her first-ever triumph in the Mixed Doubles. She is set to partner Croatia’s Mate Pavic in the bracket. Their first-round fixture will take place on Friday amidst a lot of anticipation.

The duo is the sixth seed in the Mixed Doubles category at the 2022 Wimbledon. Sania Mirza’s Croatian teammate is third in the world doubles ranking and is also a major favourite to win the Men’s Doubles. Mate Pavic and Nikola Mektic are second seeds in that particular category.

Sania Mirza and Mate Pavic will play against David Vega Hernandez of Spain and Natela Dzalamidze of Georgia. The pair is unseeded and the 35-year-old Indian will try to avoid slipping up in Mixed Doubles in a similar fashion to losing in Women’s Doubles.

Last year, Sania Mirza went until the third round in Mixed Doubles. The aim will be to surpass that mark this year and hopefully, the Indian will end her tryst with the Wimbledon on a high note.

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