Ankita Raina to partner Sania Mirza at Tokyo Olympics
Tokyo will be Sania Mirza’s fourth Olympics and Ankita Raina’s first.
Ankita Raina will be Sania Mirza's women's doubles partner at the upcoming Tokyo Olympics, which begins on July 23.
Ankita Raina confirmed the team up in a social media post. The 28-year-old Ankita wrote: “With great honour and pride, I inform you that I have been selected to represent India at the Olympics in the women’s doubles category partnering Sania Mirza.”
Sania Mirza, a six-time Grand Slam winner, will make the cut for Tokyo courtesy her world No. 9 women's doubles protected ranking, granted because of her extended layoff from the game owing to pregnancy and injuries.
As per rules, Sania Mirza can choose any Indian partner ranked inside the top 300 as her partner at Tokyo.
Ankita Raina, ranked 95th in doubles and 183rd in singles currently, emerged as the obvious choice.
While Tokyo will be Sania Mirza's fourth Olympics, it will mark Ankita Raina's maiden appearance at the Summer Games.
Ankita Raina also has a chance of qualifying for the singles event at the Olympics as the Asian Games 2018 bronze medallist.
With the Asian Games gold and silver medallists - China's Wang Qiang and Shuai Zhang, respectively - are likely to get a direct entry based on their world rankings, Ankita Raina may get in on default.
Qiang is ranked 39th in the world while Zhang is placed 46th presently. The top 56 players post the qualification window's conclusion on June 14 get automatic entries to Tokyo.
Heading into the Billie Jean King Cup World Group play-offs in Latvia back in April, Sania Mirza and Ankita Raina practised together in Dubai for a week, hinting at their potential team-up for Tokyo.
The 34-year-old Sania Mirza came within touching distance of a tennis medal at Rio 2016 but lost the mixed doubles bronze playoff match with partner Rohan Bopanna in Brazil.
In women's doubles, Sania Mirza reached the second round at Beijing 2008 with Sunitha Rao but her London 2012 and Rio 2016 campaigns, with Rushmi Chakravarthi and Prarthana Thombare, respectively, ended in the first round itself.