Australian Open: Sania Mirza, Anna Danilina crash out of doubles

Sania Mirza
It was a forgettable outing for Sania Mirza. File photo: AFP

Melbourne: Sania Mirza's last women's doubles Grand Slam match ended in defeat as she and her Kazakh partner Anna Danilina lost to Belgium's Alison Van Uytvanck and Ukraine's Anhelina Kalinina 4-6, 6-4, 2-6 in the second round of the Australian Open here on Sunday.

The eighth seeds went down in a clash lasting little over two hours.

N Sriram Balaji and Jeevan Nedunchezhiyan's were also halted by the French duo of Jeremy Chardy and Fabrice Martin in the second round of the men's doubles.

Balaji and Nedunchezhiyan were handed a 4-6, 4-6 defeat, ending India's challenge in the men's doubles event.

A set down and trailing 0-3 in the second, Sania and Danilina fought back as they won three games in a row.

They got a crucial break in the seventh game when Kalinina and Van Van Uytvanck hit a forehand wide, sending the match into the decider.

However, Sania and Danilina were broken thrice in the third set.

Sania, however, is alive in the mixed doubles with veteran Rohan Bopanna. The duo dispatched locals Jaimee Fourlis and Luke Saville 7-5, 6-3 in their opening round on Saturday.

A six-time Grand Slam champion (three in women's doubles and mixed doubles each), the 36-year-old Sania had announced that the Australian Open would be her last Grand Slam and she would be retiring after the WTA 1000 Dubai Tennis Championships, slated from February 19.

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