GUANGZHOU: Indian glamour girl Sania Mirza blamed four days of sickness for withdrawing from the Asian Games women’s team tournament, a decision which she blamed for her country’s defeat on Saturday.
Mirza, who said she had been suffering from a sore throat and an ear infection, was forced to watch from the sidelines as India lost 3-0 to Indonesia in the first round.
“I was sick for four days and a lot of things changed because of that,” said the Indian star. “We didn’t underestimate our opponents. If we could play this match again and I was able to play, the result would be different.” Lavinia Tananta put Indonesia ahead with a 2-6, 7-5, 6-2 win over Poojash Venkatesha before Ayu Damayanti made it 2-0 with a 6-1, 6-1 mauling of Nirupama Sanjev.
Nany Suharyadi and Jessy Rompies then completed the rout with a 6-3, 6-1 defeat of Rushmi Chakravathi and Sanjeev.
