Sania Mirza (L) of India and teammate Martina Hingis of Switzerland hold their trophies after winning the doubles final at the Family Circle Cup Tennis Tournament in Charleston Sunday. — AP CHARLESTON — Sania Mirza will become the first Indian woman to claim the number one doubles ranking after nabbing the Charleston title with partner Martina Hingis. Hingis and Mirza captured their third doubles title in as many tournaments, after triumphs in the Indian Wells and Miami hardcourt events. The duo hadn't dropped a set in their two prior tournaments, but they were tested on the green clay courts of Charleston, saving a match point against Anabel Medina Garrigues and Yaroslava Shvedova in the semifinals. On Sunday they defeated Casey Dellacqua and Darija Jurak 6-0, 6-4 to lift the trophy. Mirza becomes the first Indian woman to reach number one in either singles or doubles. She has won seven WTA doubles titles over the last 12 months — Oeiras, Tokyo and the WTA Finals last year with Zimbabwe's Cara Black, Sydney this year with American Bethanie Mattek-Sands, and her three titles with Hingis. She also won her third Grand Slam mixed doubles title last September at the US Open, with Brazilian partner Bruno Soares. Angelique Kerber spoiled Andrea Petkovic's perfect record in Charleston Saturday, beating the defending champion in an all-German semifinal to set up a title clash with Madison Keys of the US. Petkovic brought a perfect 11-0 record on the green clay courts of Charleston into the meeting with her fifth-seeded countrywoman. Petkovic seized an early break for a 2-0 lead, but Kerber won 11 of the next 14 games en route to a 6-4, 6-4 triumph. Trailing 6-4, 5-1, Petkovic didn't go down without a final fight. The seventh-seeded American is assured of reaching a new career high ranking of 17th in the world after beating Czech Lucie Hradecka 6-1, 6-4 in the semifinals.
Klizan wins third ATP tour title Second-seeded Martin Klizan defeated Daniel Gimeno-Traver 6-2, 6-2 in the final of the Grand Prix Hassan II on Sunday to claim his third ATP tour title. In the semifinals, Traver recorded a 6-7 (3), 6-4, 6-4 win over third-seeded Jiri Vesely and Klizan rallied past Damir Dzumhur 4-6, 6-4, 6-0. Schmiedlova wins Katowice Eighth-seeded Anna Karolina Schmiedlova of Slovakia beat third-seeded Camila Giorgi of Italy 6-4, 6-3 Sunday in the final of the Katowice Open to clinch her first WTA title. The 67th-ranked Schmiedlova won in 1 hour, 28 minutes. Giorgi, the world's No. 34, had five double-faults against only one for Schmiedlova. Giorgi advanced to the final by beating top-seeded Agnieszka Radwanska in the semifinals Saturday. King of Clay returns Relaxed, tanned and smiling, the former top-ranked Rafael Nadal looks more than happy to return to his favorite surface, Monte Carlo, after a mediocre start to the season during which he believed he was in the worst form of his life. Monte Carlo is the first of three Masters tournaments played on clay and is followed by Madrid and Rome, leading up to the French Open, which starts May 24. Some first-round matches got underway Sunday, with the 27th-ranked Bernard Tomic rallying past Lukas Rosol 4-6, 6-2, 6-3, and Florian Mayer making a winning return on the Tour after hitting six aces en route to a 7-6 (8), 6-4 win over wild card Mikhail Youzhny. Mayer had been sidelined for more than a year because of a groin injury. Also, Victor Estrella Burgos defeated Simone Bolelli 6-4, 7-6 (5). — Agencies
