With ten final appearances, followed by nine trophies in the calendar year, Sania Mirza and Martina Hingis have left an indelible mark in the tennis world in the year 2015. The Indo-Swiss duo capped off the fantastic year with a victory in the WTA Finals at Singapore.
A match that lasted only just more than an hour showed the complete dominance of the revered duo over the Spanish duo of Garbine Muguruza and Carla Suarez Navarro. Sania Mirza and Martina Hingis completed the victory in straight sets 6-0, 6-3. Such was the dominance of this Indo-Swiss duo in the tournament that they did not even lose a single set throughout the WTA tournament. The WTA is the pair’s ninth title together this year, having also won in Beijing, Wuhan, Guangzhou, US Open (New York), Wimbledon (London), Charleston, Miami and Indian Wells. Their only loss in a final was at Rome.
The tournaments where this duo triumphed are the Indian Wells, Charleston, Wimbledon, the US Open, Guangzhou, Wuhan, China Open besides the most recent at WTA. The pair has won 22 matches on the trot after losing to Hao-Ching Chan and Yung-Jan Chan in the month of August. Sania Mirza and Martina Hingis
Only a few years back, Sania Mirza ’s career was looking to be set on a downward spiral while Hingis seemed to be ready for her swan song. All was not right for either player, and tennis appeared to be set to be the one who lost the most. However, the duo turned things around completely and dominated the doubles court throughout the season. However the duo complements each other so well, that they together cover all the frailties that are so apparent when they play in singles. Hingis for all her technical perfectness is not the most original player who can penetrate through the opponent while Sania Mirza has got all the power and guile for the game with some major volatilities. Sania Mirza and Martina Hingis
But all was not as one would have envisaged after such a feat by one of the most popular female sports faces of the current Indian generation. In a country where cricket has always overshadowed other sports, it was not surprising to see that the achievements of this duo on the tennis court was largely overlooked by almost all sections of the media. But what made it even more hypocritical was that the dismal form of the Indian cricket team was gaining more screen time than this great achievement. Had the Indian cricket team achieved something even half of this, the media would have gone gaga. But the apathy shown in this respect spells doom for the future of sports in the country while also highlighting the sorry state of news media in the country.
Tennis, badminton, and football are some sports that have gained rapid popularity in the past few years. While the apathy towards every other sports person continues to persist, the sports personalities would also continue to persist in their consistent efforts to bring glory to the country. Sania Mirza and Martina Hingis
With hopes to continue this sparkling form even next year, Sania Mirza and Martina Hingis have hung their boots for this season.