Qatar Open: Sania Mirza's Journey Ends With Semifinal Defeat

Sania Mirza Qatar Open: Sania Mirza and Andreja Klepac will not be advancing further in the Qatar Open tournament.

The Indo-Slovenian pair were defeated by the American-Dutch pair Nicole Melichar and Demi Schuurs 5-7 6-2 5-10 in the semifinal round. The match lasted for one hour and 28 minutes.

The semifinal round of the Qatar Open was a tough one

The match was a tough one for both Sania Mirza and Andreja Klepac as they battled against players who are ranked 11 and 12 in the world.

Both Melichar and Schuurs were able to convert their first breaking point against Mirza and Klepac in the third game of the opening set.

Klepac and Mirza won the first game of the second set, and had a 2-0 lead. However, subsequently, the match slowed down and soon, both the teams were forced into a tie-breaker. Melichar and Schuurs were able to win the match by dashing ahead of the Indo-Slovenian pair in the tie-breaker.

Both Sania and Andreja divided the amount of USD 10000 between them, and also earned 185 ranking points each. It is said that this will bring Mirza back within the top 200 rank holders in tennis in the world. She might reach the 177th spot from her current rank of 254.

This year's Qatar Open tournament marked Sania Mirza's comeback go tennis after nearly 12 months. She had last played in February 2020. Mirza had decided to play in this year's Australian Open, but had to cancel her plan as she had contracted the coronavirus in January this year.