Mirza and Hingis comeback from the dead to lift 11th title
They were down and out in the second set. The French pair of Caroline Garcia and Kristina Mladenovic won the first set 6-1, and were leading the second set 5-2 – just one game away from halting the juggernaut – but the match turned on its head pretty soon.
It was as if they were bored after winning 29 matches in a row . The Indo-Swiss pair were broken thrice in the first set by their third seeded opponents, and it seemed like the unbeaten run, which has been the talking point in Indian media for the past few days, will finally come to an end.
Nothing changed in the second set, at least initially, as Garcia and Mladenovic raced to a 5-2 lead. Perhaps it was the realization of what they were about to lose, woke 'SanTina' up from the slumber, and they started playing with the aggression, which has kept that at the top of the rankings for such a long period. Perhaps it was the French pair relaxing with the win in sight, and dropping their standard. But Sania and Martina won five games in a row, and with it the set.
The comeback was complete in the tie-breaker. At one point Martina Hingis smashed a phenomenal backhand winner down the line, and hopped back to Mirza, like in her teens, to celebrate it. They had found the proverbial spring in their steps. The World No.1 pair won it 10-5.
(Read:Â why-mirza-and-hingis-have-not-yet-broken-the-world-record)
With the win, Sania Mirza successfully defended her crown, which she won with Bethanie Mattek-Sands in 2015. This was also Mirza and Hingis' 11th title since teaming up, and they will head into the Australian Open with lot of confidence and momentum behind them.
What a match! @mhingis/@MirzaSania win their 30th match in a row + #SydneyTennis Women's Dubs Title 1-6 7-5 [10-5] pic.twitter.com/3iymJSPSPa
— Apia Intl Sydney (@SydneyTennis) January 15, 2016