Mirza could become the first Indian to rank No. 1 in the world if she and her new partner can take home a third straight title at the Family Circle Cup this weekend in Charleston. With title points, Mirza would leapfrog Italians Sara Errani and Roberta Vinci, who recently announced the end of their doubles pairing.
“That's why for me today's match was so huge,” Mirza said after Sunday’s 7-5, 6-1 title victory in Miami over Ekaterina Makarova and Elina Vesinina. “Makes me really, really close to No. 1. I think I'm a few points off. It's something that I've dreamt of all any life.”
She added: “We're going Charleston, and our thing was if we play final or won here we would go to Charleston. That's what we're doing. Obviously we're in the hunt for No. 1, of course.”
Mirza, already the first woman from India to win a WTA singles and a Grand Slam doubles title (she has won three in mixed), says that Hingis’s touch and feel at the net provides the perfect complement to her aggressive baseline game.
“I think that's our biggest strength,” Mirza said. “When I'm hitting the ball big at the back and she's at the net, it's tough for the other team to find space. I think that's one of the biggest strengths. The second thing is she knows how to win. I've won a lot in the last couple of years, and we both try to find a way always.”
Hingis has now won as many doubles titles as singles titles after yesterday’s triumph (43) and says that the team is feeling no pressure because they know they’ll get there sooner or later—if not this week. “I think the way we play and team up together, sooner or later hopefully it's going to happen,” Hingis said. “It's just a question of time hopefully.”
Yesterday, the team revealed its plans to play together all season, including the Grand Slams.
Though she continues to rule out a singles comeback, Hingis says she’s just happy to be competing against the WTA’s elite doubles teams—and winning.
“It's a different situation,” she says. “It's a different situation in my career right now. I know my singles days are over like long time ago when I decided not to play anymore. Now it's just everything that I always say that I achieve now is a bonus. I really enjoy every minute, every moment of it. Now playing with Sania, we haven't dropped a set since we played together.”
If Mirza achieves the feat, she would become the fourth Asian woman to do reach No. 1 after Japan's Ai Sugiyama, China's Peng Shuai and Chinese Taipei's Hsieh Su-Wei.
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