Sania, Shoaib set for mixed doubles

Indian tennis sensation Sania Mirza is all set to enter into wedlock with Pakistan cricketer Shoaib Malik on April 15, two months after she broke her engagement with childhood friend Sohrab Mirza.

In a dramatic turn around on Wednesday, Shoaib Malik divorced Ayesha Siddiqui, the local girl whom he had married seven years ago.

The settlement was reached after a compromise worked out by Muslim community leaders paving the way for his marriage with Sania Mirza on April 15.

Under the compromise, Shoaib will pay Rs 15,000 as maintenance to Ayesha at the rate of Rs 5000 per month for three months as per Sharia (Islamic law). Ayesha's mother Farisa said, "My daughter had to pass through hardships. Finally justice has been done to my daughter. She is relieved and very happy."

All police cases against Shoaib will now be withdrawn.

After an FIR was filed against Shoaib, Hyderabad Police Commissioner A K Khan had said immigration officials had been instructed to ensure that Malik does not leave the country till interrogation in the case was over.

At a press conference on Monday evening in Hyderabad, Sania Mirza and Shoaib Malik stood side by side to emphasize that allegations of a first wife will not affect their wedding plans. "These are not nice things for me to hear about my future husband", said Mirza.

Both Malik and Mirza emphasized that they are from respectable families and would like to concentrate on their wedding preparations rather than press conferences.

Sania and Shoaib's fairytale romance had turned into a legal nightmare for the Pakistani cricketer after he was accused of marrying and dumping Hyderabad girl Ayesha Siddiqui without a formal divorce.

With dozens of media persons surrounding Sania's house in Jubilee Hills, Sania's family sought police protection. Some policemen, in addition to her private security guards, were deployed at the house.

Sania backed Shoaib to the hilt, insisting that she knows the truth behind the spiraling controversy.

Preparations for the wedding are on in full swing at the Mirza house in Hyderabad.

Shoaib had all along denied the charges and claimed that it was Ayesha, who actually cheated him by fooling him into a phone marriage after sending photographs of some other woman.

On a surprise visit to the city days before his marriage to Sania Mirza, Malik distributed a press statement to this effect.(AFP Image)

The news of Shoaib and Sania's coming together spread like wildfire, and a tweet from "Shoaib Malik" confirmed the news of their marriage: "Thanks for all your support. And the news of me marrying to Sania is true. Inshallah will get married in April."

Sania later tweeted: "Cant wait to get back on court around wimbeldon:) the wrist is healing well.FYI Shoaib's account on twitter is fake, he's not even on twitter."

And: "Hi Guys! Me & Shoaib are very happy in this new phase of our life. Want to thank the media & all you guys for the wishes:) lots of love to all."

According to Sania's family sources there will be no engagement before the wedding.

A statement by Sania's father Imran Mirza also stated that 23-year-old Sania and the 28-year-old all-rounder will be based in Dubai, where Malik is a resident.

"This is a unique case where the husband and wife will represent their respective countries in sport," said Mirza in Hyderabad.

It was Shoaib's mother who had met Sania's parents in India and accepted her as future daughter-in-law, according to Malik's brother-in-law.

The entire Malik family will leave for India on April 7 and formal Nikaah ceremony will take place on April 15.

Sania and Shoaib reportedly fell in love some six-and-half months ago and it could be the reason for the breaking up of Sania's engagement with Sohrab Mirza.

Sania had got engaged to Sohrab in 2009 July, but they called it off in January this year. Reason for the decision was not disclosed by either of the two families. Though Sania had said, "We were friends for years but found ourselves incompatible as fiances".

Sania, the first Indian woman tennis player to break in to top 50 in the WTA rankings, was also linked to Indian cricketer Irfan Pathan in 2005 and later Bollywood heartthrob Shahid Kapoor. However, nothing was ever confirmed.

Sania's brush with controversies is not unknown. There were fatwas against her for wearing short skirts on the court. She was also criticized once for showing disrespect to the national flag. Following that row, she had even considered to quit.

However, none of the controversies or the string of injuries ever deterred her from giving her best to the sport.

Born to a sports journalist, Imran Mirza and her mother Nasima in Mumbai, Sania was brought up in Hyderabad. Sania started playing tennis at the age of six under the guidance of her father.

Sania made her debut in 2003 in the India Fed Cup team, winning all three singles matches. She also won the 2003 Wimbledon Championships Girls' Doubles title, teaming up with Alisa Kleybanova of Russia.

In 2005, she became the first Indian player to reach the fourth round of the US Open Championship.

She is the highest ranked female tennis player ever from India, with a career high ranking of 27 in singles and 18 in doubles. She holds the distinction of being the first Indian woman to be seeded in a Grand Slam tennis tournament.

In 2006, Sania drew applause from everyone after she defeated one-time champion Martina Hingis. Her first WTA title came in 2005 when she defeated Ukraine's Alyona Bondarenko in the Hyderabad Open Finals.

In the 2006 Doha games Sania won a Gold in mixed doubles along with veteran Leander Paes. She also won Silver in the women's singles game.

The 22-year-old was conferred n honorary degree of Doctor of Letters from MGR Educational and Research Institute University in Chennai in 2008.

In 2009, Sania won the US Open Mixed Doubles title with Mahesh Bhupathi.

Sania's to be partner Shoaib Malik is no small name in the world of sports. The former Pakistan captain is known for his exceptional all-round skills.

Malik had made his international debut in 1999 as an off-break bowler for Pakistan. However, he gradually evolved into a batting all-rounder and won many matches for his country.

He has so far scored 1517 runs in 29 Tests, 5141 in 190 One-Day Internationals and 603 runs in 30 Twenty20 Internationals. He has also picked 19, 132 and 14 wickets in the three formats respectively.

After Pakistan's embarrassing ouster from the 2007 World Cup and coach Bob Woolmer's death in controversial conditions, he was appointed the captain of the team.

In Malik's first series as captain, Pakistan beat Sri Lanka 2-1 in an ODI series in Abu Dhabi. His next assignments were home Test and ODI series against South Africa which Pakistan lost 1-0 and 3-2 respectively.

Younus Khan replaced him in 2009 as the skipper after Pakistan's worst ODI defeat to Sri Lanka at home.

Malik was once again asked to lead Pakistan with Shahid Afridi banned for two matches. He however declined to take the captaincy on a permanent basis.

After Pakistan's disastrous tour of Australia, the PCB slapped a one-year ban on Shoaib Malik on disciplinary grounds along with a fine of two million rupees.

While Malik is fighting the battle with the Pakistan board to get his ban revoked, he is lending his full support to Sania and her career. "I fully understand what it takes to be an international sports person and I will support Sania in her career as long as she wishes to play," he said.

"Representing India at the 2012 Olympics is very important for her and I will be the proudest husband if she can win a medal for her country," he added.

Sania too is elated with this decision. "My wedding is going to be the biggest day of my life. I have been in the constant glare for too long and would appreciate privacy at this very personal moment in my life," Sania was quoted as having said in a statement.