Sania Mirza and Martina Hingis end professional relationship
World No. 1 Doubles pair Sania Mirza and Martina Hingis have decided to end their partnership. Each player has entered the US Open women’s doubles draw, but with different partners – Mirza with former partner Barbora Strycova of the Czech Republic, and Hingis with Coco Vandeweghe of the United States of America.
24-year-old Vandeweghe won the US Open Juniors title in 2008, and last year reached the semi-finals of the US Open with partner Anna-Lena Gronefeld of Germany. This year, the American and Romania’s Horia Tecau together reached the finals of the Australian Open in the mixed doubles, losing out to the combine of Elena Vesnina and Bruno Soares.
Together Mirza and Hingis became one of the most successful women’s tennis pairings in recent years, winning titles at Wimbledon and the US Open in 2015, and at the Australian Open this year. Hingis also took Grand Slam titles with Leander Paes in the mixed doubles, marking a successful run for India in tennis.
However, the pair have not been able to maintain their form midway through 2016. Although they won the Australian Open early in the year, and two WTA titles – in St Petersburg and then at the WTA Italian Open – they have not been able to replicate their successes of 2015, which they ended as the top-ranked women’s doubles pair.
They have seen early – or unexpected – losses in a number of tournaments this year.
Mirza’s run in the women’s doubles at the Rio 2016 Olympics has also ended, with the 29-year-old and partner Prarthana Thombare losing to China’s Shuai Peng and Zhang Shuai in the first round.
Hingis, who had been due to play in the mixed doubles with Stan Wawrinka, will only be in the women’s doubles at Rio 2016, partnering Timea Bacszinsky. The pair have won their first round match, interestingly against Coco Vandeweghe and Bethanie Mattek-Sands of the United States – while Mattek-Sands is a former doubles partner of Sania Mirza, Vandeweghe will be Hingis’ new partner.
Mirza will partner Rohan Bopanna in the mixed doubles at Rio 2016, with their first match to be played tomorrow. Their opponents are as yet unknown.