New Delhi: The Indian tennis challenge at the Doha Asian Games started on a low, as Sania Mirza lost to China's Jie Zheng 4-6, 6-1, 1-6 in the final of the women's singles on Wednesday.
India's hopes for three gold medals on the trot began with Sania Mirza taking on second seed Zheng on a sapping Doha afternoon.
It wasn't smooth sailing right from the word go for the Indian though, as Zheng wrapped the first set 6-4 in a tight encounter.
World No 66 Sania, however, came back in style and breezed through the second set by winning it 6-1, coming right back into gold medal contention.
After winning the first game on serve in the deciding set, the Chinese broke Sania in next, running away to a 4-1 lead that saw her through with a gold medal.
Zheng raised the level of her game by several notches to emerge victorious, while Sania had to be content with a silver, her own hopes now pinned on the mixed doubles final she is to play later in the day.
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