Hobart International: Sania rolls into doubles final

This is Sania Mirza's first tournament since her return to the circuit after a two-year break.

Indian tennis ace Sania Mirza and her Ukrainian partner Nadiia Kichenok stormed into the women's doubles final of the Hobart International with a straight-set win over the Slovenian-Czech duo of Tamara Zidansek and Marie Bouzkova in Hobart on Friday.

The fifth seeded Indo-Ukrainian pair won the semi-final 7-6 (3), 6-2.

The first set was a tough contest between the two pairs, bringing the tie-breaker into the equation after it was level at 6-6.

In the tie-breaker, Sania and Kichenok upped their game by a few notches to outsmart their opponents and take the lead.

The second set was a no contest as Saina and Kichenok broke their opponents thrice -- in the second, sixth and eighth game -- to easily pocket the set and storm into the final.

Saina and Kichenok got 11 break chances out of which they converted four, while their opponents utilised two out of the five break chances that came their way.  

On Thursday, the Indo-Ukranian duo beat USA's Vania King and Christina McHale 6-2, 4-6, 10-4 in the quarter-finals.

33-year-old Sania last played at China Open in October 2017.

Earlier in December, she was named in the five-member Fed Cup team announced by All India Tennis Association (AITA) to represent the country in the Fed Cup Asia/Oceania Group I event.

During her time away from the game, she battled injury breakdowns before taking a formal break in April 2018 for the birth to her son Izhaan. She is married to Pakistani cricketer Shoaib Malik.