India’s Sania Mirza and China’s Shuai Peng reached the semi-finals of the US Open with a straight sets win over Hungary’s Timea Babos and Andrea Hlavackova of Czech Republic on Friday. The Indo-Chinese pair, seeded fourth, posted a 7-6, 6-4 win in a match that lasted for nearly two hours over their opponents, who are ranked fifth.
Mirza will yet again face former doubles partner, Martina Hingis for a place in the final. The Swiss ace, along with partner Chan Yung-jan, beat Zhang Shuai of China and Chan Hao-ching of Chinese Taipei comfortably, posting a 6-2, 6-2 win.
Four Czech Republic players feature in the other semi final. The seventh seeded of Lucie Hradecka and Katerina Siniakova will take on third seeded compatriots Lucie Safarova and Barbora Strycova [Another former doubles partner of Mirza].
Mirza has played with different partners at the Grand Slams this season. She had started the season by teaming up with Strycova. They had lost in the third round of the Australian Open to Eri Hozumi and Miyu Kato. At the Roland Garros she played with Yaroslava Shvedova and lost to Daria Gavrilova and Anastasia Pavlyuchenkova in the opening round, PTI reported.
This season Sania has managed to win only one title – the Brisbane WTA event with American Bethanie Mattek-Sands – and ended up finalist in Sydney with Strycova.
This is in complete contrast to her stupendous show in the 2016 season, during which she won eight titles, including five with Swiss great Martina Hingis. She had ended the 2016 year as No 1 , but has now slipped ninth as she struggled to find a consistent partner after splitting with Hingis.
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