Charleston (South Carolina), Martina Hingis and Sania Mirza won the Family Circle Cup doubles title with a straight sets romp here on Sunday morning, making Mirza the world No. 1 ranked woman player in doubles tennis.
Mirza and Hingis beat Casey Dellacqua and Darija Jurak 6-0, 6-4 in a thoroughly one-sided final match that lasted a little less than an hour.
Mirza’s No. 1 ranking comes shortly after badminton star Saina Nehwal briefly held the No. 1 ranking in her sport. Mirza, the best ever singles player in Indian women’s tennis, is also one of the few world-class women sportspersons from India. Boxers Mary Kom and Sarita Devi have been at the top of their sport in the world, while Anju Bobby George won a bronze medal in long jump at the 2003 Athletics World Championships. More recently, shooter Heena Sidhu became the first Indian pistol shooter to be ranked No. 1 in the world.
Mirza is the 33rd woman to hold the No. 1 ranking since the WTA began the rankings system back in 1984. Hingis had won the singles title here in 1997 and 1999, and also the doubles crown in 1997. This was the 44th career doubles title for Hingis and 26th for Mirza. The two have won titles in Indian Wells, Miami and Charleston in their first three tournaments as partners. They have remained undefeated in their 14-0 matches in those tournaments.