Sania to lead home campaign
Tennis ace Sania Mirza will spearhead India’s campaign at the Fed Cup Group II Asia/ Oceania tournament from April 14 to 18 at the Lal Bahadur Stadium in Hyderabad.
The four- day tournament will see 12 nations — India, Indonesia, Iran, Iraq, Kyrgyzstan, Malaysia, Pacific Oceania, Pakistan, Philippines, Singapore, Sri Lanka and Turkmenistan — compete for the lone spot in the Asia/ Oceania Zone Group I for next season.
The teams will be divided into four pools and will play on a round- robin basis. The winners of Pool A will play Pool C leaders while the team topping the Pool B will face the Pool D leaders.
The round- robin matches will be from April 14 to 16 followed by the play offs a day after. The final is on April 18.
Asked if Sania would play singles, S. P. Misra, chairman of the All India Tennis Association selection com- mittee said, “The chances of India making it to the next round will be high if Sania plays the singles match as well. Hopefully she agrees to play. All seven courts are being re- laid with the flexi- pave for the event.”
The Fateh Maidan tennis complex has a total capacity of 4,000 seats of which 1,000 will be up for sale at a nominal price and the remaining 3,000 will be distributed among children and tennis lovers.
“This is the first major event happening in Hyderabad after a gap of nine years. Also, this will be the first event in which Sania would compete in Hyderabad after the formation of Telangana state. We hope people will come out in large numbers and support our team,” said K. T. Rama Rao, the Telangana State Tennis Association president.