Qatar Open: Sania Mirza, Andreja Klepac Lose In Semi-Finals

Indian tennis star Sania Mirza and her partner Andreja Klepac of Slovenia crashed out of the ongoing Qatar Total Open after facing a defeat in the semi-finals on Thursday. Sania, who was competing in her first tournament in more than 12 months, marked her return to tennis with a credible semi-final finish in the showpiece event. Sania and her women's doubles partner Klepac went down 5-7, 6-2, 5-10 to second-seeded Nicole Melichar and Dutch player Demi Schuurs in a thrilling three-set contest.

Earlier on Monday, Sania made a winning return to the WTA circuit as she along with Klepac defeated Ukranian pair of Nadiia Kichenok and Lyudmyla Kichenok 6-4, 6-7(5), 10-5 in the opening round of the showpiece event.

This match was Sania's first in 12 months' time and co-incidentally, this Qatar Open was the last tournament she played in 2020 when all competitions were put to a halt due to the COVID-19 pandemic.

Earlier, Mirza had revealed that she contracted coronavirus at the beginning of this year.

She also revealed that staying away from her two-year-old child was the toughest thing she faced after testing positive for the virus.

Last year, Mirza brought home the country's first-ever Fed Cup Heart Award in Asia/Oceania category after getting more than 10,000 votes out of the total 16,985 votes cast for 2020's three regional Group I nominees.

Last year, her return to Fed Cup action for the first time since 2016 saw India book their place in the Fed Cup Play-offs.