· Mirza becomes first Indian woman to achieve the WTA World No.1 doubles ranking
· Newly-formed team of Martina Hingis and Sania Mirza wins 14-straight matches to capture three titles – Indian Wells, Miami and Charleston
· Hingis/Mirza are now No.1 on the Road to Singapore Leaderboard
ST. PETERSBURG, FL, USA – The Women’s Tennis Association (WTA) today announced that India’s Sania Mirza will rise to the WTA World No.1 doubles ranking on Monday, April 13. Since the WTA doubles rankings were introduced on September 10, 1984, Mirza is the 33rd player to reach the top doubles ranking, the first from India and fourth from Asia, to do so.
In the last 52 weeks, which are used to calculate the WTA doubles rankings, Mirza has won seven doubles titles with three different partners: Portugal Open (Oeiras), Toray Pan Pacific Open (Tokyo) and the BNP Paribas WTA Finals Singapore presented by SC Global with Cara Black; Apia International Sydney with Bethanie Mattek-Sands; and BNP Paribas Open, Miami Open presented by Itau and Family Circle Cup with Martina Hingis.
· Newly-formed team of Martina Hingis and Sania Mirza wins 14-straight matches to capture three titles – Indian Wells, Miami and Charleston
· Hingis/Mirza are now No.1 on the Road to Singapore Leaderboard
ST. PETERSBURG, FL, USA – The Women’s Tennis Association (WTA) today announced that India’s Sania Mirza will rise to the WTA World No.1 doubles ranking on Monday, April 13. Since the WTA doubles rankings were introduced on September 10, 1984, Mirza is the 33rd player to reach the top doubles ranking, the first from India and fourth from Asia, to do so.
In the last 52 weeks, which are used to calculate the WTA doubles rankings, Mirza has won seven doubles titles with three different partners: Portugal Open (Oeiras), Toray Pan Pacific Open (Tokyo) and the BNP Paribas WTA Finals Singapore presented by SC Global with Cara Black; Apia International Sydney with Bethanie Mattek-Sands; and BNP Paribas Open, Miami Open presented by Itau and Family Circle Cup with Martina Hingis.
In March this year, 28-year-old Mirza teamed up with nine-time Grand Slam doubles champion Martina Hingis, and the pair achieved instant success, winning 14-straight matches and claiming three successive titles. These results have propelled Mirza to the top of the WTA doubles rankings, and the team of Hingis/Mirza to the top of the Road to Singapore doubles leaderboard.
Mirza said achieving the WTA World No.1 doubles ranking was a dream come true. “When you start off as a child playing tennis, you dream of being No.1 in the world. It’s a dream for every person; very few get there. I feel extremely honored to be No.1, it’s something that I’ve worked for all my life. I hope this makes girls in India believe that anything is possible; we can achieve anything we want if we put our mind and body to it.”
Stacey Allaster, WTA Chairman and CEO, said: "It is a truly remarkable accomplishment for Sania Mirza to become the first Indian woman to reach the WTA World No.1 doubles ranking. Sania has attained many milestones throughout her successful career and this achievement is a fitting recognition of her talent, dedication and success. I am sure Sania will continue to create history and inspire our ever-growing fan base in India and the wider Asia-Pacific region.”
Among her notable achievements, Mirza was the first Indian woman to win a WTA singles title; the first to reach the third and fourth rounds of a Grand Slam; the first to surpass $1 million in career prize money; and the first to win a Grand Slam title of any kind when she claimed the 2009 Australian Open mixed doubles title with countryman Mahesh Bhupathi. She holds a total of 26 career doubles titles, and three Grand Slam mixed doubles titles.
Only three other Asian women have achieved the WTA World No.1 doubles ranking: Japan’s Ai Sugiyama, China’s Peng Shuai, and Chinese Taipei’s Hsieh Su-Wei.
Mirza said achieving the WTA World No.1 doubles ranking was a dream come true. “When you start off as a child playing tennis, you dream of being No.1 in the world. It’s a dream for every person; very few get there. I feel extremely honored to be No.1, it’s something that I’ve worked for all my life. I hope this makes girls in India believe that anything is possible; we can achieve anything we want if we put our mind and body to it.”
Stacey Allaster, WTA Chairman and CEO, said: "It is a truly remarkable accomplishment for Sania Mirza to become the first Indian woman to reach the WTA World No.1 doubles ranking. Sania has attained many milestones throughout her successful career and this achievement is a fitting recognition of her talent, dedication and success. I am sure Sania will continue to create history and inspire our ever-growing fan base in India and the wider Asia-Pacific region.”
Among her notable achievements, Mirza was the first Indian woman to win a WTA singles title; the first to reach the third and fourth rounds of a Grand Slam; the first to surpass $1 million in career prize money; and the first to win a Grand Slam title of any kind when she claimed the 2009 Australian Open mixed doubles title with countryman Mahesh Bhupathi. She holds a total of 26 career doubles titles, and three Grand Slam mixed doubles titles.
Only three other Asian women have achieved the WTA World No.1 doubles ranking: Japan’s Ai Sugiyama, China’s Peng Shuai, and Chinese Taipei’s Hsieh Su-Wei.
By: Editor
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