Mirza into Asian Games last-four

Indian tennis ace Sania Mirza and Japanese Kimiko Date Krumm book their semi-final berths at the Asian Games.

GUANGZHOU: Indian tennis ace Sania Mirza and Japanese Kimiko Date Krumm booked their semi-final berths at the Asian Games. Date Krumm defeated South Korean Lee Jin-A 7-6 (7-2), 7-5, while Mirza beat Thai second-seed Tamarine Tanasugarn 6-2, 6-3.

Uzbek Akgul Amanmuradova needed three sets to beat Japan’s Ayumi Morita 6-2, 2-6, 6-2 and will next face unseeded Mirza. “When you’re not seeded, you’re playing tougher matches,” said Mirza, whose ranking has slipped to 166 in the world.

Meanwhile, China won all seven table tennis gold medals in a great show of strength by the sport’s powerhouse. Ma Long won the Asian Games men’s table tennis singles gold as Li Xiaoxia came back from three games down to take the women’s crown.

Meanwhile, three women field hockey players from Kazakhstan were ejected from the event for representing two nations this year. The trio, Annastassia Chsherbakova, Yuliya Mikheichik and Alessya Pyotukh, admitted to having played for Belarus in the World Cup qualifying tournament in April.

Published in The Express Tribune, November 21^st, 2010.