Doubles Vision

If today was anything to go by, Indian women’s tennis could have its own star doubles pairing. In only their second match together, San...

If today was anything to go by, Indian women’s tennis could have its own star doubles pairing. In only their second match together, Sania Mirza and Shikha Uberoi beat China’s Na Li and Chin Wei Chan in straight sets in the first round of the WTA event here today.

‘‘Very promising’’, said Mahesh Bhupathi, one half of the country’s most famous doubles pairing yet. Then added, ‘‘They have to fine-tune themselves but they are good enough for the Fed Cup.’’

Playing amid a wall of sound — a packed stadium constantly cheering and whistling —

they displayed the understanding that gave them an easy ride.

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While Shikha’s big first serves provided the openings Sania doubled up at the net with timely interceptions. Both went for narrowed angles at the net, and both achieved a high degree of success when at it.

They also had the emotional measure of each other. In the seventh game of the second set, when Na Li’s forehand appeared to go out but was called in, Sania walked up to contest the decision. The umpire ruled it, at which point Sania sagged on to the net, resting her head on it. Shikha walked up, put her arms around her and gently pulled her back to play.

After the match they were predictably upbeat. ‘‘We believe we have a chance’’, said Shikha.

She then spoke at length about having to share the court with Hyderabad’s current Most Favoured Person. ‘‘This girl is so famous. But it’s amazing how she handles such pressure every day. Whether she plays in India or abroad, the expectations are phenomenal — even Roger Federer probably hasn’t played under such pressure. It’s just incredible.’’

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Sania acknowledging her partner’s patience and fihting instinct. ‘‘She’s a very competitive player on court even when she is playing her own sister.’’

She also paid tribute to her home crowd. ‘‘Half of them don’t even know how the scoring is done, but they still come. That shows their love for the game. The capacity of the stadium is 4,500 but I don’t know how 6,000 managed to sit in.’’

So is this the beginning of a beautiful relationship? They were not committing themselves on that. ‘‘I’m open to the idea’’, Sania said, ‘‘as we don’t have any fixed partners. But then Shikha has a playing sister…’’

For India, with the Fed Cup round the corner, that issue can wait. The immediate good news is that the first sub-150 pairing looks to be doing well. If only they can crack it in singles too.