Aced it! Hyderabad’s crown jewels Sania, Saina shine brightest this year

Mumbai: The mouth-watering Hyderabad biryani will not be the only reason that will make you visit the ‘City of Nawabs’. We’re just in the nascent stages of 2015, and India’s Deccan region of Hyderabad is already boasting of two jewels - Saina Nehwal and Sania Mirza after their record-breaking World No 1 achievements in their respective sports of badminton and tennis.

Saina Nehwal was the first to reach the coveted spot in a not so peculiar fashion. The 25-year-old created history in March this year after top seed Carolina Marin of Spain was beaten by third-seeded Ratchanok Intanon from Thailand in the first semifinal of the Indian Open Super Series in New Delhi. The young badminton sensation, from Hyderabad, went on to win her first Indian Open Series.

(Photo: AFP)

However, Saina’s stay at the top of the rankings was short-lived after the Olympic bronze-medallist dropped her position owing to her loss in the Malaysia Open Super Series Premier semifinals.

Saina lost to the reigning Olympic champion Li Xuerui, but in that short period of time, the Indian shuttler created history after becoming the first Indian woman to reach the numero uno position coming off a win in the sub-continent.

Check out: ‘I thought of quitting badminton after last year’s World Championships’

But Saina could have still regained her top spot in the World Badminton Rankings, hadn’t she pulled out of the Singapore Open Super Series, as two other players in contention, Li Xuerui and Carolina Marin were not in contention. In keeping with her strong ideology, a meticulous Saina has always been cautious about her playing schedule, which is why she made the decision as she doesn’t really like to over burden herself with excess pressure.

Read: ‘I didn't want to overburden myself,’ says Saina Nehwal as she skips Singapore Open

What separates her from the rest is her belief in regaining the top spot. “No 1 is No 1, nobody can take that away from me, doesn't matter what the duration is," Saina told a reputed Indian news channel. It comes as a strong signal to all her fans and counterparts who are confident that the former World No 1 will soon have the title back in her kitty.

Saina’s noticeable feat though was the fact that she was a rare non-Chinese player who managed to crack the China code to clinch the top spot. Any sporting athlete would always vie for the top spot and when they come close to achieving it, it’s a daunting task not to concentrate on that goal, and who can explain it best other than Saina’s fellow athlete from Hyderabad, Sania Mirza.

Sania Mirza, who was on the cusp of history, required only a win from becoming the World No 1 in doubles after reaching the final of the WTA Family Circle Cup with partner Martina Hingis. And just when we thought that the ‘louder’ Sania will be unable to clinch the spot, Sunday turned out to be a day of ecstasy for all her fans.

The Hyderabad-born tennis ace, following her stupendous title win at the same tournament in Charleston, became the first female player from India to achieve the World No 1 rank in doubles.

Sania took 470 points from the win to take her tally to 7965 as she jumped past Italy's Sara Errani (7640) and Roberta Vinci (7640) to sit atop the ranking table.

It was a moment to treasure for the Indian player as before Sania, only Leander Paes and Mahesh Bhupathi had registered their names in the top spot when they dominated the men’s doubles circuit in the late 90’s.

The Indian tennis star lifted her third straight doubles championship following it up with her success at the BNP Paribas Open (Indian Wells) and Miami Open, extending her perfect record with the Swiss veteran to 14 matches.

And what a better day to create history! As surprising as it may sound, Sania achieved the feat on the same day of her anniversary (April 12, 2010) with former Pakistan cricket skipper Shoaib Malik. A bit of credit also goes to the Swiss Martina Hingis, who partnered Saina, after she decided to part ways with Su-Wei Hsieh.

Sania’s road to the top spot has been a bumpy one. Throughout 2008, the 28-year-old was plagued by wrist injuries that resulted her to give up her singles career and focus on the doubles circuit and if one could get a small insight into her upcoming autobiography, ‘Against All Odds’, you can surely tell that from a being a daughter-in-law of Pakistan to having a fatwa issued for her tennis kit, she was even let down by her own countrymen.

The Hyderabadi hurricane won her third Grand Slam (US Open mixed doubles with Brazil's Bruno Soares), an Asian Games gold (mixed doubles with Saketh Myneni), and the year-ending WTA title (Women's Doubles with Cara Black), that's often called the fifth Grand Slam of the year.

(Photo: PTI)

Being from the same state, Saina is often compared to Sania and it’s said that the latter creates more noise than the other. Saina is portrayed a bigger talent by certain sections of the media. On the contrary, Sania’s patriotism towards the country has been questioned. The general perception is far from reality as both these players have toiled equally hard to reach where they are sitting right now.

Check out: Did Yuva Sena preempt Sania Mirza’s rise to World No 1?

There have been numerous incidents where Sania has been on the receiving end of many questions posed at her after her inclusion in controversies, but the fighting spirit that she possess has managed her to fight against all odds, both on and off the field to become one of India’s best-ever female sportswomen.

Both have done India proud in sports and their achievements have provided a sheer inspiration for the countless women athletes, where recognition for the opposite sex in the sub-continent comes miserly.

(Photo: PTI)

Not many biopics have been made on women athletes in the country barring the one on five-time world amateur boxing champion Mary Kom, portrayed by Bollywood actress Priyanka Chopra on the silver screen. If there’s any director thinking of making a biopic on women athletes, then Saina and Sania’s story should be evident as their lives seem to be scripted well enough.

(Photo: PTI)

The story goes on and if anybody would like to fulfill their dreams, Sania Mirza and Saian Nehwal, who have solidified their positions in their respective sports, should be of great help. Experts have been quite critical of Sania for not performing up to her potential in singles, but the fact remains that she is the most popular Indian woman tennis player of all time. And Saina, well she’s just doing well rewriting history! Kudos Hyderabad, you’ve just produced two jewels and as the famous character of Captain Archibald Haddock in the Adventures of Tintin would say, ‘Blistering Barnacles.’