Trailblazing Indian tennis star Sania Mirza and her Czech partner Lucie Hradecka went down fighting in the semi-finals of the Dubai Tennis Championships on Friday.
After dominating the first set, Sania and Hradecka lost 6-2, 2-6, 7-10 to Ukraine’s Lyudmyla Kichenok and Latvia's Jelena Ostapenko.
The Indo-Czech duo, which had received a wild card for the tournament, saved 11 break-points while converting two of the three in the first set to win the first set.
However, the two were unable to maintain the momentum as Kichenok and Ostapenko levelled the scoreline and then eventually sealed the match.
The veteran Indian had won the doubles title in Dubai in 2013, partnering USA's Bethanie Mattek-Sands.
The 35-year-old, India's most accomplished woman tennis player, having won six Grand Slam titles, including three mixed doubles trophies, had earlier announced that 2022 would be her last season.
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