Sania in Time’s Asian heroes’ list

NEW DELHI—In another ace for teenage tennis icon Sania Mirza, she became the first Indian sportswoman to be featured on the cover of the Time magazine and is being included in its 2005 list of Asia’s heroes.
In the list of heroes, Sania shares the honour with Chinese actress Zhang Jingchu, South Korean footballer Park Ji Sung and Japan’s Ken Watanbe.
The tennis star, who has been described by the magazine as a role model for women in the country and the fastest rising star in the sport this year, features on the cover of the special issue of the magazine which would hit the stands on Monday.
Though the list is led by people who saved lives and rebuild families and communities after last year’s devastating tsunami, it also includes inspirational figures in the field of arts and sports.
Sania had created history in Indian tennis by becoming the first ever Indian to break into the top-50 WTA rankings.
She also became the first Indian woman to win a WTA tourney when she lifted the Hyderabad Open trophy in February 2005.
The Wimbledon junior champion also beat several top 10 players and became the first Indian to reach the third round of the Australian Open and the pre-quarters of the US Open.—Agencies