Sports India

India’s tennis sensation Sania Mirza has set a modest goal of reaching the second round in the $585,000 WTA Tour event in Dubai starting on Monday.

Sania, who would be playing her first tournament at the Tier 2 level as a wild-card entry, said with the world’s top 30 players competing, winning the first round would be a significant achievement.

“I really do not have big goals for this tournament. I’m not even expecting anything. Getting past the first round would be the immediate worry as there are a lot of top players from the tour here this time,” said the 18-year-old who arrived in Dubai on Friday.

The first Indian woman to win a WTA title said that entering the top 50 in women’s tennis remained her prime goal for this year.

“I know it’s a tough goal, but this is something I have to achieve by the end of this season,” Sania said after a practice session with former Indian Davis Cup player Zeeshan Ali.

She said there would be added pressure on her but that would be from the court than off it.

“The pressure has always been there. I have never played a match without having the pressure to do well,” she said.

“But now, it’s much more since I am playing at a much higher level,” she added.