2021 Ostrava Open | Sania Mirza and Zhang Shuai pair claim women's doubles title

2021 Ostrava Open | Sania Mirza and Zhang Shuai pair claim women's doubles title

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Sania Mirza (left) and Zhang Shuai after winning the Ostrava Open

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Indian Tennis star Sania Mirza claimed her first WTA title in 20 months as she, paired with China’s Zhang Shuai, won the Ostrava Open in Czech Republic, on Sunday. The Indo-Chinese pair breezed past USA’s Kaitlyn Christian and Erin Routliffe in the summit clash with scores of 6-3, 6-2.

The third-seeded duo of Sania Mirza and Zhang Shuai had earlier defeated the Japanese pair of Eri Hozumi and Makoto Ninomiya by a convincing scoreline of 6-2, 7-5. They were up against USA’s Kaitlyn Christian and Erin Routliffe of New Zealand in the summit clash.

The Indo-Chinese pair were on top of their game from the beginning itself, putting pressure on the opponents to enforce a break, which worked in their favour. A breakpoint in the sixth game allowed Sania-Zhang to take a 4-2 lead and eventually claim the first set.

In an attempt to turn the tide, the USA-Kiwi pair shifted gears in the second set, but the strategy backfired in the end. Sania-Zhang cashed on their opportunities to break in the third and seventh games to win the set and the match overall, with scores of 6-3, 6-2.

This was Sania Mirza and Zhang Shuai’s first WTA title win as a pair, with the duo making their debut as a team for the first time during the Luxembourg Open, where they lost in the quarter-finals. The Indian star’s last WTA title win was at the Hobart International, where she claimed top honours alongside Ukraine’s Nadiia Kichenok.

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