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Sania concedes match due to injury

By Staff

Beijing, Aug 11 (UNI) A tearful Sania Mirza's tryst with Olympic's tennis single event lasted only 46 minutes as recurrence of wrist injury forced her to concede the match to Czech Republic's Iveta Benesova in the second set here today.

Sania was trailing 1-6, 1-2 when she could not bear the wrist pain and started weeping and decided to retire.

The injury makes her doubtful for tomorrow's doubles match in which she and Sunitha Rao are scheduled to play French pair of Tatiana Golovin and Pauline Parmentier.

The Indian, who had lost to Benesova, in all the three previous encounters, looked ill from the very start and could hold on to her serve only once in the first set and in the second, though she broke her rival but could not hold on to her next serve and after Benesova took the 2-1 lead the Hyderabadi player decided not risk her wrist further.

Benesova knew about her rival's physical condition. The 56th ranked Czech girl played a tight game and kept the ball in.

She made Sania run around the court with some clever placements and lobs and in the process she forced Indian to hit the ball.

This was clever tactics, the more Sania hit the ball the more pressure was put on wrist and it started showing.

The Indian whose ranking has slipped to 60 started the match but failed to hold her first serve, she then dropped her third and sixth games also to lose the set 1-6 in 32 minute in which she managed to hold on to her fifth game only.

She fired an ace but committed four double faults in her tentative first set in which she converted 54 per cent of her first serve as compared to 67 per cent of her rival.

Sania was totally off colour and on a slow court where the ball came high, she found it hard to return. Though she tried hard but the signs of things to come were all there and after playing for 12 minutes in the second session it became impossible for her to continue and she decided to quit.

It was not a happy Olympic debut for Sania who is having a miserable season. She took couple of months off after getting wrist operated in April but her return has not been impressive and she slipped from her ranking too.

Today was the continuation of that poor season and as one seasoned tennis player present at court five, where the incomplete match took place said, ''It is high time that Sania takes care of her wrist and not to take any risk. She should take full rest before restarting. She has a big future ahead, she should not play with it.'' ''I think Sania tried her best but from the very start the wrist was bothering her,'' said Nandan Bal. ''She is a very brave girl but had to retire when it impossible for her to continue.'' Asked whether she will play in the doubles match tomorrow, Bal said, ''I think she is eligible to play in the doubles but it remains to be seen whether she is able to recover quickly. The decision to play or not to play is totally hers.'' Sania left the court with physio and after consulting with doctors here she will decide about her doubles match.

UNI HSB RKM HS1705

Story first published: Tuesday, August 22, 2017, 12:17 [IST]
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