Masters Tennis: Sania, Bhupathi steal show

KOLKATA: In the end, the 'youthful' team of Sania Mirza (29) and Mahesh Bhupathi (41) prevailed over the combined experience of 101 years that Martina Navratilova (59) and Leander (42) brought to the court on Wednesday.
On a glittering evening, which brought together one of the most successful sportspersons of all time and our own trio of superstars under the same roof for the first time, it was not so much about the quality of play or the scoreline (7-5, 7-5) than the indomitable spirit of four great champions who strove to overcome their own limitations to entertain an audience of 2000-odd which included a smattering of celebrities from different fields.
Martina, having set foot in the city well past midnight after a 24-hour journey from Florida, wasn't expected to be the best player on court, and she wasn't. Over a decade after having stopped playing competitive tennis, Martina is a happily married woman who is busy catching up with family life. On the tennis court, she was eager to be competitive, but the body was loathe to responding to the brain.
A delightful stop volley in the third game, which stopped Sania in her tracks, was her best moment of the match. As she broke into a jig and Leander bowed to her revered partner, the crowd broke into a prolonged applause. Another forehand drive-volley , late in the first set, bisected Sania and Mahesh, drawing admiration from her rivals.
For most of the 80-minute match, though, Leander had to cover most of the court. He did it diligently and seriously, as if it was his duty to shield his older partner. His efforts seemed to be paying off in the early stage of the match as the `senior' team went a break up for 3-1.