Sania Mirza gets a wild card in Dubai

If former world No 1 Kim Clijsters has managed to capture the imagination of the sporting world with her second comeback on the WTA Tour here, India’s Sania Mirza will bring in the crowds after being handed one of two wild cards in the doubles at this week’s Dubai Duty Free Women’s Open.

Mirza has been given a wild card by the organisers along with her partner Caroline Garcia. The IndoFrench pair will start their campaign in Dubai against Alla Kudryavtseva and Dubai-based Slovenian, Katarina Srebotnik, in the doubles first round.

Mirza made a comeback on to the WTA this season following more than two years off the circuit with motherhood.

Tournament Director Salah Tahlak welcomed the Indo-French pairing as one of two wild cards this year. “Both have played in Dubai on many occasions in the past. Sania is important for Dubai as well as the UAE due to the presence of more than 3.3 million Indians living here,” Tahlak told