Sania hopeful of good show at Pattaya

Hyderabad, Jan 27 (UNI) Disappointed with her second-round exit at the Australian Open, Sania Mirza said she is hoping to strike form at the 170,000 dollar Pattaya Open starting next month.

''It is natural, whenever you lose a match you feel a bit disappointed, but as a sportsperson, one learns to accept the rough with the smooth,'' Sania told UNI.

Sania said she was now focussing on six WTA events to climb up in the world rankings.

''I would be taking part in the WTA tour events at Pattaya, Bangalore, Doha, Indian Wells, Miami and Amelia Island,'' she said as she laid out her schedule.

The Indian said despite the Australian Open disappointment her stint Down Under was a grea learning experience and would come in handy as she prepares for a busy year.

''I did fairly well during the month-long stay in Australia. The results will be showing and I am hopeful of breaking back into top 50 once again when the weekly rankings will be released on Monday next. Of course, I am continuing to be in top 25 in the doubles,'' she explained.

''I am satisfied with my performance for the past couple of months. Starting from Asia-Hopman Cup in my hometown, where I along with Bopanna helped India win the inaugural title. I did extremely well in the Doha Asian Games picking one gold and two silver medals.

''Having won two ties against Czech and Croatia, I think we did fairly well in the Hopman Cup main draw at Perth. I wish India be seeded into the main draw next year. At the Moorilla Hobert International I had a good run, before losing to top seed Anna Chakvetadze of Russia in the semifinals 6-4, 6-1,'' the 20-year-old from Hyderabad added.

UNI