Sania trounces top seed Na Li on her way to final

Doha, Dec 12 (UNI) Sania Mirza destroyed top seed Na Li of China 6-2, 6-2 to brighten her chance of a maiden gold in the women tennis event of the Asian Games here today.

The Indian tennis sensation -- ranked 67 in the world -- played with clinical precision producing some stunning forehand shots to decimate her much higher ranked 24-year-old Chinese rival.

Sania is the first Indian women to figure in the Asian Games tennis final after a gap of 24 years. Na Li, who had come here as the favourite to win the title and had boasted before the start of the tournament that final is going to be an all Chinese affair, found herself sucked out by Sania Hurricane.

The 64-minute semi-final was reduced to no contest as Na Li was left pondering as to what hit her while Sania came up with lethal cross court forehands.

The Indian was in awesome form and swept her rival off the court.

Sania played out near flawless tennis but nobody expected such an abject surrender from the top seed.

The 20-year-old Hyderabadi star served well, returned superbly and finished off the match in quick time so as not to prolong the Chinese agony on the court.

Sania relied on her power and never relaxed her strangle hold on the match while Na Li hardly got a chance to find her bearing on the court.

The Indian star displayed her wares as she made her rival run around the court without success.

It was a nightmarish tie for the Chinese star who was made to look like a novice on the court on which her rival strode like a colossus.

Sania showed her aggressive plan from the very start as she broke Na Li in the first game and then broke her again in the fifth to take the set (6-2) in 29th minute.

Na Li was totally rattled by this showing of merciless power play by her rival and tried to regain the ground and rhythm in the next but Sania was in no mood to give up her control on the proceedings.

The Chinese' game collapsed against the amazing performance of her rival. Sania unleashed great forehands and deep backhand cross court shots and returns which Na Li was not able to negotiate.

The Indian hit stunning big serves and ground strokes to break the Chinese in the third and seventh game to clinch the set (6-2) in 36 minutes.

UNI HSB PM DS1624