Australian Open: Sania Mirza, Kazakh partner Anna Danilina win women’s doubles opening round

Melbourne: Playing in her last Grand Slam tournament, India’s ace tennis player Sania Mirza started her Australian Open campaign with a women’s doubles first-round win, partnering with Kazakhstan’s Anna Danilina on Thursday. 

The Indo-Kazakh pair defeated Ukrainian-Belgian pair Anhelina Kalinina and Alison Van Uytvanck 6-2, 7-5. Sania and Anna will face the Ukrainian-Belgian duo of Anhelina Kalinina and Alison Van Uytvanck in the second round



tomorrow.

Meanwhile, competing in their first Grand Slam together as a pair, the Indian men’s doubles wildcards Yuki Bhambri and Saketh Myneni lost to 14th seeds John Peers of Australia and Andrea Mies of Germany 6-7, 7-6, 3-6.

Another men’s pair Ramkumar Ramanathan and his Mexican partner Miguel Angel Reyes-Varela suffered a 6-3, 5-7, 3-6 loss at the hands of Greek pair Stefanos Tsitsipas and his brother Petros.