Religious mix unites fans
Religious mix unites fans 
From Robin Millard in London
Former Australian Captain June 30, 2007
INDIA’S Sania Mirza and Israel’s Shahar Peer made a winning start to their renewed but controversial partnership, negotiating the first round of the ladies’ doubles at Wimbledon today (AEST).
It was the pair’s first appearance since they felt forced to split under pressure from religious hardliners, furious about Mirza, a Muslim, playing with a Jew.
The close friends
had played together at the 2005 Japan Open, reaching the last four, but the controversy seemed well behind the No.16 seeds as they beat qualifiers, Sofia Arvidsson from and American Lilia Osterloh 7-5 6-3 in front of an enthusiastic crowd as the sun set on south-west London.
The match was played on the 800-capacity court three, the fifth-biggest court at the club. It had been originally scheduled for the slightly smaller court 13.
There were people wearing saris, turbans and headscarves and many tennis-watchers of South Asia ethnic origin among the crowd, which warmly welcomed the renewed pairing.
World No.44 Mirza, 20, insists her renewed partnership with 16th-ranked Peer is all about friendship and compatibility on the court rather than making a statement.
The pair eventually won a roller-coaster first set in which the upper hand swung noth ways.
It broke in the second game to go 2-0 up before Mirza lost her serve. The pair then broke again for a 3-1 lead, then Peer lost her serve.
When the Israel No.1 smashed a winner to make it 4-2, Mirza’s supporters cheered fervently.
Peer then hit two winners to win the next game from deuce, but Arvidsson and Osterloh struck back, taking the next two games to make it 5-4.
In the following game, Mirza and Peer squandered three set points but wrapped up the opener in the 12th game.
The pair were more assured in the second set and sealed victory in 1hr 29min.
The pair kissed cheeks and smiled and chatted as they packed up their kit.
Mirza was mobbed by fans as she left the court, signing autographs as supporters held up the letters of her first name and took photographs.
The duo faces Hungary’s Agnes Szavay and Vladimira Uhlirova from the Czech Republic in the round of 32.
Agence France-Presse