As Sania Mirza and Martina Hingis prepare to fight for a place in the summit clash of the WTA Finals women’s doubles event, the question seems to be more of what could still be rather than what might have been.
The pair had a very successful 2015, winning two Grand Slams (Wimbledon and US Open) and the season-ending WTA Finals. They were looking even better this time, kicking off their 2016 season with titles in Brisbane and Sydney before going on to win the Australian Open.
READ: >Sania-Martina enter last four
But after a poor run of results, ‘SanTina’ decided to part ways. They did, however, confirm that they will reunite to defend their title at the WTA Finals.
In their first tournament after splitting i.e. the Cincinnati Open, Sania partnered with Barbara Strycova while Hingis paired up with Coco Vanderweghe. Incidentally, they met in the final with the Indian and her Czech partner coming out on top.
Since Cincinnati, Hingis and Vanderweghe have made it to two semifinals and two pre-quarterfinals. Sania on the other hand, has won two titles (one with Strycova and the other with Monica Niculescu), reached a final, a quarterfinal and a pre-quarterfinal.
With 14 titles to their name in the space of their 16-month partnership (and a 15th quite likely before the end of November), Mirza and Hingis could have stuck it out for a bit longer despite the poor run of results. But their individual doubles game is so good that they were bound to have success regardless of whoever they teamed up with.
Winning streak
But it is together that they wreaked havoc and became at times, an irresistible force of nature, blowing away opponents. This was best personified by their 41-match winning streak stretching from August 2016 to February 2016.
A win for the Indo-Swiss pair at the Finals in Singapore might trigger questions of a possible reunion in 2017 but even if that does not materialise, ‘SanTina’ have cemented their place as one of the greatest women’s doubles pairings of the Open Era.
Comments
SHARE