Power stroker Sania Mirza lost her third-round Oz Open match to Serena Williams, 6-1, 6-4, in 56 minutes. She was all nerves in the first set, which lasted just 20 minutes:

“I had butterflies in my stomach for two days. I couldn’t get to sleep last night. In the first set I was really tight…”

But she found her game in the second. Match point was an ace, the last of 12 Serena scorchers. Williams was a gracious winner:

“I was happy with the match today… I was getting girls who weren’t giving me any pace – but today she was giving me lots of hard balls… It was good to see someone from India for the first time do so well… she had a very solid game… and I see a very bright future for her.”

Here’s a shot-by-shot account. Mirza, who won Wimbledon in the junior doubles category, made $46K and is racking up endorsement deals in India.

The Times of India’s coverage was so fawningly nationalist as to be absurd. The same paper which called Mirza’s previous 50-minute win a cakewalk, treated her similarly rapid defeat like Wagner’s Ring cycle:

… it was plain that the Indian girl was stretching [Williams] to the limits of her game… Sania’s fitness was exceptional. She raced to chase down most balls hit into the corners and this really flummoxed Serena. At this level her physical training looks to be effective… In the sixth game she forced a visibly panting Serena on the back foot through power-hitting of her own…

Dudes, seriously. I’m all for being supportive, but this mawkish crap would do the Iranian mullahs proud:

Today, the Islamic Republic has acquired massive military might, the dimensions of which still remain unknown, and is prepared to attack any intruder with a fearsome rain of fire and death.

She’s only 18. She’s ranked 166th, lost to #7 and went down fighting. There’s no shame in this loss.

Also down under, Mahesh Bhupathi and Todd Woodbridge advanced to the doubles octofinals.