Ahead of Ankita Raina’s historic Grand Slam main-draw debut in Women’s Doubles at the 2021 Australian Open, 6-time Grand Slam champion and Billie Jean King Cup teammate Sania Mirza shared warm words of advice.
Ankita Raina · Grand Slam Main Draw Debut Preview
5th Indian Woman in Slam Main Draw| Round | Match | Score | Result | Match Breakdown |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| R1 | Ankita Raina (IND) / Mihaela Buzarnescu (ROU) vs. (WC)Belinda Woolcock (AUS) / Olivia Gadecki (AUS) | 1st Round | DEBUT | First Indian woman since Sania Mirza to enter a Slam main draw |
“A Grand Slam debut happens just once in a lifetime — Ankita needs to soak it in, enjoy the moment, and give it her best.”
— Sania Mirza · Speaking on Sony Sports NetworkAnkita Raina is set to make her Grand Slam debut in the Women’s Doubles at the Australian Open on Thursday. Ahead of the big day, her Fed Cup doubles partner & idol, Sania Mirza, shared a few words of advice for her during the Sony coverage of the Australian Open on TV –
“Grand Slam debut happens just once in a lifetime. One does not play their first Grand Slam multiple times. Ankita needs to soak it in, enjoy the moment, and give it her best. Hopefully she will end up on the right side, in terms of results, tomorrow”
Ankita will partner Romania’s Mihaela Buzarnescu, who’s a former world number 24 in doubles. They will take on Australian wildcards Belinda Woolcock and Olivia Gadecki at around 8.30 AM IST on Thursday. The match will be telecasted live on Sony Ten 2/HD and on the SonyLIV app
