The Hyderabad-based tennis star, Ms. Sania Mirza has risen today to be one of India's most promising sportswomen. In a very short period she has climbed the charts to be ranked 37th in the WTA singles ranking, the highest ever by an Indian woman.

Born on 15th November, 1986 in Mumbai, Ms. Mirza began playing tennis at a very young age. She shot to fame while partnering with Alisa Kleybanova for the Junior Wimbledon Champions title in 2003 and became the youngest and the first-ever Indian woman to win a Junior Grand Slam title.

In a country where cricket is worshipped, and women sports icons are a rarity, Ms. Sania Mirza has achieved what few can. She has come a long way from the days when her first coach initially rejected her saying that she was too short and later had to revise his opinion. After turning pro in 2003, she has constantly set new goals for herself. She set an initial target of entering the Top 100 ranking of the WTA by the end of 2005 but revised it shortly to the Top 50, thanks to good performances in the beginning of the year, which included her entry into the 3rd round of the Australian Open and 4th round of the US Open.

She has managed to hold her own against formidable rivals such as Svetlana Kuznetsova, whom she defeated in the Dubai Tennis Championship and Nadia Petrova at the Acura Classic.

Accolades and recognition have followed her. After making it to the cover of Time magazine, she has been listed as, one of the ten people capable of changing the world by the London weekly New Statesman. Ms. Sania Mirza today, is a source of inspiration to many Indians especially women who hope to make sports their calling.