When Sania Mirza and Martina Hingis announced their doubles partnership in 2015, it sent a ripple of excitement through the tennis world. Mirza was ranked No. 5 in the world, a three-time Grand Slam doubles champion and one of the circuit’s most highly rated players. Hingis, ranked No. 7, was a serial champion and a legend of the game, returning to add yet more silverware to her storied career.
They entered Wimbledon as top seeds and wasted no time living up to expectations. The pair breezed through the draw without dropping a set, beating fifth seeds Raquel Kops-Jones and Abigail Spears in the semifinals to set up a final against second seeds Ekaterina Makarova and Elena Vesnina.
Makarova and Vesnina, themselves prolific title-winners, made it a final worthy of the billing. The Russians edged the first set 7-5, and when the second went to a tiebreak, Mirza and Hingis were under real pressure. But they held their nerve to take the breaker and force a deciding set.
The momentum swung again as Hingis was broken and the top seeds fell 2-5 behind. But champions respond. Mirza and Hingis reeled off five straight games to win the final set 7-5 — and with it, the 2015 Wimbledon title.
Wimbledon was the start of a golden run for the pair, which went on to win the US Open (2015) and Australian Open (2016) among a string of titles. They parted ways in 2016, leaving behind a legacy of dazzling doubles tennis.