‘Pressure’s definitely on her’

MUMBAI: Going into the US Open last year, Sania Mirza was enjoying an all time high. Good performances at Stanford and Forest Hills had ensured a career high ranking (at the time) of 42 going into the final major of the season. And a good performance in New York — she made it to the fourth round — further bolstered her ranking.

Twelve months later, it is a completely different picture, and not a very good one at that. In the latest WTA Tour rankings released on Monday, the opening day of the tournament, Sania has had a significant fall in the rankings after hovering around in the 40s for the last few weeks. A string of poor performances have meant her ranking slipped from 44 to 54 —- not a good sign ahead of her opening match against Karolina Sprem.

“The pressure is definitely on her as she’s defending a lot of points and her recent results aren’t good enough,” said Enrico Piperno. The Fed Cup coach, however, feels that the 19-year-old shouldn’t look at the numbers and should instead stay focused. “We shouldn’t be judgmental now and give her an opportunity. Let’s be judgmental about her after the US Open,” he said.