Sania wins in WTA Tour return after more than 2 years

HOBART (Agencies): Indian tennis player Sania Mirza has won her first doubles match since returning to the WTA Tour following the birth of her son.

Mirza and Nadiia Kichenok beat Oksana Kalashnikova and Miyu Kato 2-6, 7-6 (3), 10-3 on Tuesday to advance to the quarterfinals at the Hobart International.

The unseeded duo will face American pair Christina McHale and Vania King in the next round.

The 33-year-old Mirza is playing at her first tournament since the China Open in October 2017 and is using a protected ranking. She plans to play at the Australian Open, which starts Monday. Indian media has reported she will play mixed doubles with Rohan Bopanna.

It will be Mirza’s first Grand Slam tournament since she and Pakistan cricketer Shoaib Malik had a son, Izhaan, in October 2018.

In singles play, top-seeded Elise Mertens beat Christina McHale 6-1, 6-1 and Garbine Muguruza defeated Wang Yafan 6-1, 7-5.

Also, fourth-seeded Zhang Shuai beat Kirsten Flipkens 4-6, 6-3, 6-2, Lizette Cabrera defeated eighth-seeded Caroline Garcia 4-6, 6-4, 6-2, Catherine Bellis beat Marie Bouzkova 3-6, 7-6 (4), 6-3, and Alize Cornet defeated Alison Van Uytvanck 7-5, 1-6, 6-2.