Sania Mirza, Anna Danilina defeated in second round, out of Australian Open
Indian men’s double duo Balaji and Jeevan also loses in second round
Melbourne: Sania Mirza’s last women’s doubles match in a Grand Slam ended in defeat as she went down 4-6 6-4 2-6 in the second round of the Australian Open on Sunday.
Meanwhile, India’s men’s double pair of N Sriram Balaji and Jeevan Nedunchezhiyan was halted in the second round by Jeremy Chardy and Fabrice Martin of France. The Indians, who entered the event as an alternate team, lost to the Frenchmen 4-6, 4-6.
In a match that lasted a little over two hours, Mirza and her Kazakh partner Anna Danilina, who are seeded eighth, lost to Belgium's Alison Van Uytvanck and Ukraine's Anhelina Kalinina.
Sania and Danilina, who were a set down and also trailing 0-3 in the second set, fought back to win three games in a row, before getting a crucial break in the seventh game. Their opponents hit a forehand wide, sending the match into the decider.
In the third set, the Indo-Kazakh duo was broken thrice, which denied them a chance to retain the winning momentum.
Sania, however, is still alive in the Australian Open, as she and her mixed doubles partner veteran Rohan Bopanna defeated the Aussie team Jaimee Fourlis and Luke Saville 7-5 6-3 in their opening round on Saturday.
A six-time Grand Slam champion (three each in women's doubles and mixed doubles), the 36-year-old Sania Mirza had announced that the Australian Open would be her last Grand Slam and she would be retiring after the WTA 1000 Dubai Tennis Championships, slated from February 19.
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4 held for sexually assaulting woman, girl on moving bus after social media alert in UP's Agra
Agra (UP) (PTI): Four people were arrested, after a prompt response by police following a social media alert, for allegedly sexually assaulting a woman and a girl inside a moving bus here, officials said on Tuesday.
According to an official police statement, at 12:27 am on April 27, information was received on the social media platform X about an incident of sexual assault on a bus travelling from Kanpur to Ahmedabad, which was approaching Namner crossing in Agra.
Acting under the direction of Police Commissioner Deepak Kumar, the Agra Police social media team immediately alerted the Rakabganj police station within minutes and coordinated with the victims to confirm the incident and obtain the exact location, it stated.
Police teams launched intensive checking at Namner crossing and intercepted the bus as it reached the spot. The four accused involved in the incident were apprehended on the spot, and legal action was initiated against them, the statement said.
The police said the swift response and coordination between the social media team and field units ensured timely action, bringing relief to the victims and other passengers, who expressed gratitude towards the police, it added.
