India's Sania Mirza captured her third Grand Slam mixed doubles title on Friday, winning the US Open crown with Brazilian partner Bruno Soares and then declared herself ‘a proud Indian’.
Sania and Soares defeated American Abigail Spears and Mexico's Santiago Gonazalez 6-1, 2-6, 11-9.
Soares claimed a second US Open mixed doubles title to go with his 2012 victory with Russian Ekaterina Makarova. Sania had lifted mixed doubles titles at the 2009 Australian Open and 2012 French Open with compatriot Mahesh Bhupathi.
Sania's win comes just a month after she was described by a Hindu nationalist politician as ‘Pakistan's daughter-in-law’ and unfit to be a representative of India. The 27-year-old, married to former Pakistan cricket captain Shoaib Malik, broke down in tears over the controversy.
"It was tough, you know,” she said after the win. “Just before I left, there was a lot happening at home. But, yeah; still a proud Indian five weeks later.”
Published in The Express Tribune, September 7th, 2014.
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The article above says and I quote "Sania’s win comes just a month after she was described by a Hindu nationalist politician as ‘Pakistan’s daughter-in-law’ and unfit to be a representative of India." This statement is not accurate. Some people have problem (and that includes me) with Sania being the brand ambassador of Telengana, a newly carved out state whose capital now is Hyderabad. Sania Mirza has been a resident of Hyderabad until she got married to a pakistani and moved to Dubai where the couple live. I, like many others, feel she is not well suited for the job of brand ambassador. Did she wear a T-shirt that says "Telengana" during her mixed doubles match? In what way is she a brand ambassador. Anyway, Indians fall for glamor and fame. When Sania should have been honing up her skills, she was walking the ramp in fashion parades. That and other non-tennis activities resulted in her downfall. She made it to top 50 at her peak but never was she in top 10.
I am happy for Sania and she rightly deserves to be a proud Indian. I was born in Bombay, schooled in Karachi, citizen of Germany, but am a proud Sub-Continental. You don't choose or lose your roots.
Sania was never declared unfit to represent India but the opposition has questioned declaring her brand ambassador Of newly formed state Telengna as she was born in Bombay overlooking other claimant and she was paid Rupees One Crore