The turn of the year has brought with it a new wave of excitement in the world of tennis. A new year means a new cycle with regards to the four Grand Slam tournaments, the first of which is the Australian Open.
This year's edition began with the first round on Sunday, January 14. As far as the Indian contingent is concerned, two players have already been in action during the qualifying rounds: Ankita Raina in women's singles and Sumit Nagal in men's. While Raina was knocked out in the second round of qualifying, Nagal made it to the main draw.
The 26-year-old Nagal defeated Alex Molcan on Friday to qualify for the main draw of the men's singles, his second appearance at the major.
While India has never won a title in singles at the Melbourne major, they have tasted success in doubles at the Australian Open. TSN looks back at Indians who have won titles at the hard-court major:
2003: Leander Paes (Mixed doubles)
In 2003, Leander Paes paired up with 47-year-old Czech legend Martina Navratilova in the 2003 Australian Open mixed doubles. Their experience created a formidable pairing, as they did not drop a single set throughout the tournament on their way to victory, making Paes the first-ever Indian to win an Australian Open title.
2006: Mahesh Bhupathi (Mixed doubles)
After entering the 2006 Australian Open mixed doubles as wildcards, Mahesh Bhupathi and Martina Hingis went on to lift the trophy. They defeated home favourites and fifth seeds Samantha Stosur and Paul Hanley in the semi-final. Bhupathi-Hingis then scored a a 6-3, 6-3 win over Elena Likhovtseva and Daniel Nestor to capture the title.
2009: Sania Mirza & Mahesh Bhupathi (Mixed doubles)
2009 saw the first all-Indian pair, as well as the first Indian woman to win an Australian Open title. In the mixed doubles category, Sania Mirza and Mahesh Bhupathi again entered as a wildcard pair. With several top seeds falling away early, they went on to defeat Nathalie Dechy and Andy Ram in a one-sided final.
MORE: Sumit Nagal qualifies for Australian Open main draw
2010: Leander Paes (Mixed doubles)
Seven years after his first title at the Australian Open, Leander Paes lifted the trophy for a second time. Seeded first alongside Zimbabwean Cara Black, the pair overcame a couple of difficult matches in the semifinal and final to lift the trophy.
2012: Leander Paes (Men's doubles)
Two years after winning his second mixed doubles title, Paes picked up a third Australian Open title overall, and the first by an Indian in the men's doubles category. Alongside Radek Štěpánek, the pair defeated second seeds Max Mirnyi-Daniel Nestor in the semifinal, before beating favourites Bob-Mike Bryan to secure a historic win. The title win saw Paes complete his career Grand Slam in men's doubles.
2015: Leander Paes (Mixed doubles)
In 2015, Paes won his fourth Australian Open title at the age of 42. Paired with Martina Hingis, the duo were seeded seventh but received an easy semifinal draw against Hseih Su-wei and Pablo Cuevas, before bringing out their best to defeat Kristina Mladenovic & Daniel Nestor in the summit clash.
MORE: Top grand slam winners of all-time
2016: Sania Mirza (Women's doubles)
India's last Australian Open title came in 2016, when Sania Mirza became the first player from the country to win the women's doubles event. She entered the tournament with Hingis, and the pair were seeded first. They duly delivered on that rating, going on to win the trophy.
It was an incredible achievement for Mirza, who had burst onto the international tennis scene in 2005 as a teenager.
She may not have won the tournament, but Sania Mirza took part in the 2005 Australian Open women's singles as a wildcard at the age of just 19. After beating Cindy Watson and Petra Mandula in the first two rounds, she was beaten by eventual winner Serena Williams, ending her dream run. It remains the best performance by an Indian woman in singles at a major.
2024: Rohan Bopanna (Men's doubles)
On Saturday, ace Indian Tennis star Rohan Bopanna won his first Australian Open title as he became the oldest main to lift a Grand Slam title. The Indo-Australian pair beat the Italian duo of Simone Bolelli and Andrea Vavassori 7-6, 7-5 in straight sets.
India is still yet to see a singles winner at the Australian Open.
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