Santina, the world number one doubles pair have lost for the first time in 41 matches, at the Qatar Open. They went down 2-6, 6-4, 10-5 to Russian pair Elena Vesnina and Daria Kasatkina in the quarter-finals. Mirza and Hingis had started their win streak in September at the U.S. Open, the first of nine straight titles. If they had won the Qatar event they would have tied Natasha Zvereva of Belarus and Czech Jana Novotna’s 1990 mark of 44 consecutive wins.
Prior to Qatar, their form this year has been magnificent and the Indo-Swiss pairing have already won four titles, including titles in Brisbane and St Petersburg, as well as the Australian Open
The longest women’s doubles win streak is 109 matches, set by American pair Martina Navratilova and Pam Shriver between 1983 and 1985.
Defeat for Hingis and Mirza came just hours after men’s world number one Novak Djokovic saw his run of 17 consecutive finals end at nearby Dubai when he quit his quarterfinal with an eye infection.
Additional Info
Tennis star Sania Mirza, Indian batting mainstay Virat Kohli and top-seeded badminton player Saina Nehwal lead the pack of over 50 Indians in Forbes’ inaugural list of top “promising young leaders and game changers” under the age of 30 in Asia.
Forbes said from the moment 29-year old Mirza turned pro at age 16 in 2003, she has been the “most successful female Indian tennis player ever” and one of the highest paid and highest profile athletes in the country.