Sania, Hingis in Family Circle Cup semifinals

The Indians continued in the same vein and had another great chance in the 10th minute which was wasted by Satbir Singh who scooped over with only the approaching Australia goalkeeper Tristan Clemons to beat.

Next minute, Ramandeep Singh’s effort was saved by Australian goalkeeper Clemons and Akashdeep Singh shot wide from the resultant rebound.

The Indian defence, however, broke down just a minute from VAN ASS, on missed opportunities CHARLESTON (USA): Sania Mirza and Martina Hingis battled past defending champions Medina Garrigues and Yaroslava to not only reach the WTA Family Circle Cup semifinals but also secure the top place in the team rankings in the ‘Road To Singapore’.

The top-seeded Indo-Swiss pair, which is on a roll since joining forces recently, won 7-5, 4-6, 13-11 following intense tennis during an hour and 41 minutes-contest.

They staved off a match point when they were down 9-10 in the super tie-break as they edged out the Spanish-Kazakhstani combo.

Saturday’s win takes Sania and Hingis to number one from three in the team rankings for the Road to Singapore, where the top-eight pairs play in the season-ending finale. If they end up winning the title, Sania will become the first Indian to be ranked world No 1 in women’s tennis. “We were so happy with the crowd support. We’ve had great support everywhere we’ve gone, but here especially they love doubles,” said Sania.