Mauled: Mirza out-hits Muller in Round I

While Bangalore gaped at its first close sight of the powerful Sania Mirza groundstrokes, Martina Muller was left wishing for blinders to sh...

3 min readBangaloreFeb 15, 2006 12:00 AM IST

While Bangalore gaped at its first close sight of the powerful Sania Mirza groundstrokes, Martina Muller was left wishing for blinders to shut out the ferocity of the famed forehands. And as a result, Muller was simply out-hit 6-2, 6-2 in the first round tie against the Indian at the KSLTA here.

A distantly-ranked player Muller’s 102 currently gutting it out to merely crack into the top-100s doesn’t mellow the severity of Mirza’s hitting, neither does the occasion — only the opening round of a WTA home round. For Mirza’s fierce groundstrokes — she regaled today with the backhand down the line — carry with them the force of impact, that her reputation has only added to.

“When she hits those forehands in the correct spots, it is very hard because she strikes them very hard,” Muller said after her disappointing returns.

Mirza, still working on her highly speculated serve which is under gradual repair at Tony Roche’s workshop in Australia, shrugged off the initial unforced errors and went a break up as early as the third game of the first set. She forced another when Muller next served and sent a forehand return wide to go 5-2 up.

Mirza, forced to generate all the pace in the rallies since the German gathered little from her baseline game, pocketed the set in 24 minutes, after one such characteristic tame return from Muller found the net.

The Indian, now in her full stride, missed on two break-points at the beginning of the second set hitting a volley out with Muller at her mercy. But subsequent revisions and perfecting of the same charge on the net yielded her breaks in the third game, while the improved serve gave her the 5-1 lead, prompting the beginning of celebrations in the crowd.

“I’ve changed my serve technically, and now it’s a little slower, though it will take some time for everything to fall into place,” Mirza later explained of the corrections she has carried out.

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Muller knows a thing or two about delaying an opponent’s win, if not quite denying it. The German who had saved nine match points in a marathon Fed Cup match earlier in her career, replied with her set of spunky returns to sneak in another game on serve and Mirza was forced to serve out the match when Muller after little resistance sailed a forehand long.

Earlier, Ankita Bhambri put on a spirited show, going down 7-5, 6-3 to Kaia Kanepi. Her performance, where she matched the Estonian shot for shot, ensured that the crowd didn’t grudge her the time she took up on Centre Court delaying Mirza’s impending match.

Shivani Naik

Shivani Naik is a senior sports journalist and Assistant Editor at The Indian Express. She is widely considered one of the leading voices in Indian Olympic sports journalism, particularly known for her deep expertise in badminton, wrestling, and basketball. Professional Profile Role: Assistant Editor and Columnist at The Indian Express. Specialization: While she covers a variety of sports, she is the primary authority on badminton for the publication. She also writes extensively about tennis, track and field, wrestling, and gymnastics. Writing Style: Her work is characterized by "technical storytelling"—breaking down the biomechanics, tactics, and psychological grit of athletes. She often provides "long reads" that explore the personal journeys of athletes beyond the podium. Key Topics & Recent Coverage (Late 2025) Shivani Naik’s recent articles (as of December 2025) focus on the evolving landscape of Indian sports as athletes prepare for the 2026 Asian Games and beyond: Indian Badminton's "Hulks": She has recently written about a new generation of Indian shuttlers characterized by power and physicality, such as Ayush Shetty and Sathish Karunakaran, marking a shift from the traditionally finesse-based Indian style. PV Sindhu’s Resurgence: A significant portion of her late-2025 work tracks PV Sindhu’s tactical shifts under new coaching, focusing on her "sparkle" and technical tweaks to break out of career slumps. The "Group of Death": In December 2025, she provided detailed tactical previews for Satwiksairaj Rankireddy and Chirag Shetty’s campaign in the BWF World Tour Finals. Tactical Deep Dives: She frequently explores technical trends, such as the rise of "backhand deception" in modern badminton and the importance of court drift management in international arenas. Legacy and History: She often revisits the careers of legends like Saina Nehwal and Syed Modi, providing historical context to current Indian successes. Notable Recent Articles BWF World Tour Finals: Satwik-Chirag have it all to do to get through proverbial Group of Death. (Dec 2025) The age of Hulks in Indian badminton is here. (Dec 2025) Treadmill, Yoganidra and building endurance: The themes that defined the resurgence of Gayatri and Treesa. (Dec 2025) Ayush Shetty beats Kodai Naraoka: Will 20-year-old be the headline act in 2026? (Nov 2025) Modern Cinderella tale – featuring An Se-young and a shoe that fits snugly. (Nov 2025) Other Sports Interests Beyond the court, Shivani is a passionate follower of South African cricket, sometimes writing emotional columns about her irrational support for the Proteas, which started because of love for Graeme Smith's dour and doughty Test playing style despite being a left-hander, and sustained over curiosity over their heartbreaking habit of losing ICC knockouts. You can follow her detailed analysis and columns on her official Indian Express profile page. ... Read More

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