The Sania Mirza – Maria Sharapova match will be broadcast on CBS today after 3:15 pm (U.S. Eastern). Mirza’s last matchup of this caliber was against Serena Williams at the Australian Open. With Sharapova the #1 U.S. Open seed and #2 worldwide, Mirza is a classic underdog:

Sharapova didn’t seem too concerned about the occasion. She’s never seen Mirza play and doesn’t know anything about her. Though her father, Yuri, and hitting partner, Michael Joyce, have done some scouting, Sharapova said she’s unlikely to heed their advice. [Link]

Sharapova said she doesn’t know much about her opponent’s feisty personality or her game. (Note to Maria: Keep it away from Sania’s forehand.) Sharapova also can hit a pretty good forehand. When she strikes the ball with her racket, she puts an exclamation point on her velocity by making a screeching noise that resonates throughout Arthur Ashe Stadium. [Link]

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p>The broadcasters have even gotten the memo on how to say Mirza’s name, though I heard ‘Mrrr-zuh’ a few times on Friday. The U.S. Open’s resident Eeyore mopes:

This first-time match up between two personality-laden and fiery youngsters could be a prelude to many great matches to come. Mirza owns one of the biggest forehands on the women’s tour… But Sania had bigger holes than Maria does: a mediocre first serve, questionable conditioning and movement and a general lack of decision-making. Sharapova has a much better serve, a more solid backhand and more experience in big matches.

The only way that Sania can win this match is if Maria has a very down day on her serve, because Mirza returns with incredible ferocity. Essentially, if Mirza zones early and often, she has a minor chance at an upset, but Sharapova will make mincemeat of Sania’s serves, own her from the backhand side and not give her a chance to breathe. [Link]

 More technical analysis:

”Two factors will decide the match”, says Enrico Piperno, India’s Fed Cup coach. ”The power of her shots and the number of unforced errors.”

The first is a double-edged sword… The flip side, though, is that it accounts for a large part of her unforced errors. Piperno explains: ”There’s a difference of around eight feet between back-of-the-court and mid-court, the two spots to stand during a rally, but there’s no difference in the power of her shots. Hitting that hard is fine from the baseline but when she comes up, it makes the ball either balloon up and out or go long…” [Link]

But Sania has been nowhere near her best form in this tournament. Struggling to manage 50 per cent first-serve accuracy, and committing 50 unforced errors in almost every game, Sania has been lucky to make it past the first three rounds. “Her first serve has to improve, her shot selection has to be better,” said Enrico Piperno, Mahesh Bhupathi’s coach. [Link]

Knowing a good story when it sees one, the U.S. Open web site is running a photo of Mirza instead of the 6’2″, female Drago. In contrast, the ‘open-minded’ foreign press thinks the nose ring is punk. Next they’ll applaud her trendiness when she wears a kurti

An independent-minded woman, people have suggested her wearing a nose-ring is a sign of her being rebellious. In fact, nose-rings are not uncommon among Indian women. [Link]

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p>In India, the fundies are dinging her for wearing a tennis mini. I don’t think the Koran takes a position on U.S. Open gear:

Despite her huge popularity, Mirza has been criticised by some people in India for baring flesh in her tennis gear… ‘No human being is perfect,’ she said. ‘I guess I’m not dressing the way Islam states but I guess we all make mistakes…’ [Link]

Mirza’s T-shirt pulpit says:

Her T-shirt read: “You can either agree with me, or be wrong.” At Wimbledon she sported one that stated: “Well-behaved women rarely make history.” And Wednesday she wore a pink T-shirt that read: “I’m cute? No [shit]!”

“It’s no big deal,” Mirza said. “I’m 18 years old. Give me a break! I’m trying to have some fun here. I’m bored of the stripes or checks or the lines…” [Link]

Another of her favorites is “Attitude Unlimited.” Mirza has been asked a lot of questions about the shirts in recent weeks, and she is growing weary of the topic. ”This is the last time I’m going to wear a T-shirt in a press conference,” she said Friday, when the question came up again. [Link]

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p>Mirza ended the last press conference on a positive note:

”It will be one of the biggest matches of my career,” she said. “Hopefully, I’ll have the crowd. She’s the one out there who’s world No. 1, so I have nothing to lose. There’s obviously no pressure on me.” [Link]

In other news, Leander Paes and Mahesh Bhupathi are still alive in mixed and men’s doubles respectively, while Indian-American Neha Uberoi advanced in women’s doubles.

After Mirza’s match, you might want to stick around and watch the beginning of Serena vs. Venus Williams.

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Update: Mirza lost. Watch the match and read the commentary.