India's Sania Mirza began her Grand Slam career with a bang, beating home challenger Cindy Watson 3-6, 6-3, 6-0 in the first round of the singles competition at the Australian Open on Monday.
Watson, playing her fourth Open, started well to take the first set but the 18-year-old Indian came back strongly to win the second set. Once the momentum was with Mirza she crushed her opponent 6-0 in the final set to enter the second round of the tournament.
She thus emulated the best performance by an Indian girl on the Grand Slam stage. Nirupama Vaidyanathan reached the Australian Open second round in 1998.
Sania entered the main draw courtesy a wild card after reaching the final of the Asian Tennis Championships last year. With a ranking of 166 she was placed favourably against the Australian (ranked 285th). Being nine years younger to Watson, the Indian also had age on her side.
It was not exactly flawless tennis from the 18-year old Hyderabad girl. She hit only 32 winners and had 43 unforced errors, including three double-faults. She was broken in her very first serve of the match and dropped serves three more times.
But the teenager put it down to nervousness on the big stage and said there is no worry about her form as such.
"I was quite tight in the first set and was also down a break in the second set ... But I was hitting the net and not long or wide," Sania said.
"Then I concentrated on making her play, and it worked," said the former Wimbledon girls doubles champion.
From the moment she was down 2-3 in the second set, Sania began to tighten her game. She kept the ball in play, and, to her luck, Watson began to make mistakes.
The Indian went up 5-3 with her third break of the set in the eighth game, and from there on there was no stopping Sania as she reeled off 10 games in a row.
In all, Sania converted seven out of 12 break-points as against four out of 13 by Watson, another wild card entrant herself.
The local girl wilted under pressure.
The set times began to shrink as Sania stepped on the gas, the decider lasting only 26 minutes. She also served the only ace of the match in the last game.
Sania got 34 WTA points for her first round win and moved into the sub-150 in world rankings, another milestone in her fledgling career.
She will next play Petra Mandula of Hungary, who beat the 30th seed Flavia Pennetta of Italy 3-6, 6-1, 6-3.
Mandula, an experienced campaigner, is ranked 84th on the WTA tour.
A win there would most probably pit Sania against American Serena Williams in the third round, but the Indian is not looking too far ahead.
"I know that. But I can't afford to think about it. I am happy that I won the first round and want to give my best in the next match," she said.
