Sania Mirza touches the ground after defeating her Ukranian opponent Alyona Bondarenko in the singles final of the WTA Hyderabad Tennis Tournament in Hyderabad, on Feb. 12. Unseeded Mirza defeated ninth seed Bondarenko 6-4, 5-7, 6-3. to become the first Indian woman to win a WTA singles event.

Hyderabad : Sania Mirza took Indian tennis to dizzying heights on Feb. 12 by claiming the $140,000 WTA Hyderabadtitle with a 6-4, 5-7, 6-3 victory over Ukraine’s Alyona Bondarenko.

Sania, who ranked 131 before the tournament began, earned $22,000 and 95 WTA points. Bondarenko was richer by $12,000 and 67 points.

In the all-Chinese doubles final, Zi Yan and Jie Zheng upset Olympic doubles champions Ting Li and Tiantian Sun 6-4, 6-1.

“There are no words to describe this victory. It is just wonderful to play and win the final,” said Sania after her match.

Less than a month after becoming the first Indian woman to reach the third round of a grand slam, the 18-year-old girl from Hyderabad became the first Indian to win a WTA title.

Mirza with the winner’s trophy in Hyderabad. (Photos: AFP)

Fresh from her epoch-making performance at the Australian Sania provided more proof of her immense abilities in crafting a pulsating victory over Bondarenko.

In a perfect finish to the dream run she has had at the weeklong tournament, Sania brushed aside a late rally from the 20-year-old from Ukrainian to win the decider and the title.

Both were playing their first WTA final but Bondarenko, ranked 107, appeared to be under tremendous pressure while Sania, with a vociferous crowd behind her, was cool and composed even when the chips were down.

Sania, playing with a strained left thigh and a painful ankle, carried on gamely and matched her opponent point for point.

Sania, who had beaten Maria Kirilenko of Russia in the semi-final on Feb. 11, won a close first set of the final that witnessed some exhilarating rallies and Sania’s trademark ferocious forehands. Although Alyona staged a comeback in the second set to draw parity in the match played under floodlights at the Fateh Maidan tennis complex, it was a resolute Sania who clinched the third set to emerge the winner.

Sania had the advantage of the huge crowd support, which did not follow the worldwide practice of keeping silent during play.

There was some drama just a few minutes before the match actually finished. Sania served an ace and crashed to the ground in celebration, failing to see the “let” call by the net umpire.

As Alyona, who showed little emotion throughout the match, stood her ground as she had seen the call, it took the referee to point the fault to Sania, who eventually lost that game.

She, however, came back to win the title and send the delirious crowd into raptures.

What made her victory even more memorable was the fact that she played in the tournament despite an ankle injury. Though not fully fit, she could not resist the temptation of playing before the home crowd.

She will now lead the country’s challenge in an Asia-Oceania zone Fed Cup women’s team tennis match in April. Shikha Uberoi, Ankita Bhambri and Rushmi Chakravarthy are the other members of the team for Asia-Oceania Group 1 zonal tie in New Delhi April 18-20.

This was announced by the selection committee of the All Indian Tennis Association, which met in Hyderabad on Feb. 13 under the chairmanship of Shyam Minotra.

U.S.-based Uberoi will be making her debut for India.