Hyderabad: The world No.1 doubles tennis team of Sania Mirza and Martina Hingis has broken up. The two will pick separate partners before getting together again at the WTA year-end championship for which they have already qualified.
“Yes, they have decided to end it,” Sania’s father Imran told this newspaper on Tuesday. Sania is currently representing India at the Rio Olympics.
Imran attributed the break-up to results. “They have been poor over the last six months, during which time they have won just one title,” he said, adding “they won 14 trophies over 12 months though.”
Sania will partner Barbora Strycova of the Czech Republic for the Western & Southern Open in Cincinnati, starting August 15, and later at the US Open, the season’s last Grand Slam that begins on August 29.
In between, the Hyderabadi will play alongside her erstwhile partner Bethanie Mattek-Sands at the Connecticut Open in New Haven (beginning August 22) as Strycova is unavailable during that period.
“Strycova is a good player with a skillset that complements Sania’s game. She combined with Lucie Safarova to beat the Williams sisters in the doubles first round at the ongoing Olympics,” Imran added.
Having come together in March 2016, Sania and Hingis have won 14 titles, including three Grand Slams — Wimbledon, US Open (2015) and Australian Open (2016) in 16-month long partnership.
Both Sania and Martina became world No.1 doubles players during their partnership together and dominated doubles via a 41-match winning streak which ended in February this year.
