It’s official, Sania Mirza is now Sania Malik!

Indian tennis player Sania Mirza and Pakistani cricketer Shoaib Malik exchanged wedding vows Monday in a controversy hit celebrity union across the deep political and religious rivalries that divide their two countries.

Mirza’s spokeswoman Rucha Nayak told reporters that the pair, two of the region’s biggest sporting names, signed an Islamic matrimonial agreement in the southern Indian city of Hyderabad.

The nuptials follow a stormy courtship for the pair, with anger among hardline Hindus over Mirza’s relationship with a Pakistani man matched by a scandal over bigamy allegations against Malik.

Last week, Malik divorced his first wife, Ayesha Siddiqui, an Indian woman whom he had earlier accused of tricking him into what he described as an invalid wedding.

Asked earlier this month if she was unnerved by the controversy surrounding her wedding, Mirza said, “Of course I am upset. But we are happy that we are together.”

Mirza divides opinion in India, drawing criticism from strict Muslim groups for her short tennis skirts and jewelry, while gaining praise and fans for her achievements on the court.

She became the first Indian to win a WTA Tour title in 2005, she reached the fourth round of the U.S. Open later that year and won the Australian Open mixed doubles in 2009.

Sania Mirza’s ‘soap opera’ life story takes another twist.

Indian police have seized the passport of Pakistani cricketer Shoaib Malik, who is to marry Indian tennis star Sania Mirza later this month.

They questioned Malik over allegations that he is already married.

Police say they are conducting a preliminary investigation after the family of another Indian woman said he married her in 2002.

Malik says he was deceived and that the marriage certificate presented by the family was a fake.

Malik is in Mirza’s home city of Hyderabad in southern India ahead of the wedding planned for 15 April.

Police questioned him in the tennis star’s house for almost two hours over charges filed against him by another woman from Hyderabad, Ayesha Siddiqui, who says she is already married to him.

‘I know, we know what the truth is and it will come out and we believe in justice’

A police spokesman said that the cricketer had been asked to remain in India while the investigation is carried out.

Malik and Mirza later held an open-air news conference at which he said he was ready to co-operate with the Indian authorities.

“I am here to clear my name, and for that I am not leaving the country,” he told reporters.

Sania Mirza gave her support and backed the police investigation.

Sania Mirza will try again….

Indian tennis star Sania Mirza is to marry Pakistani cricketer Shoaib Malik, the family of India’s most successful woman tennis player confirmed.

Mirza’s father said Malik, the former cricket captain of Pakistan, and his daughter would move to Dubai after the marriage, expected next month.

He added that she planned to continue playing tennis once she had recovered fully from a wrist injury.

Reports say the wedding celebrations will be held in both countries.

Receptions are expected in the Indian city of Hyderabad, where Mirza lives, and the Pakistani city of Lahore.

Mirza, 23, said she hoped to be fully fit to represent India in the upcoming Commonwealth Games and the Asian Games.

In a career often hit by injuries, Mirza touched a high of 34 in world rankings and is currently placed at 92.

Sania Mirza dumps her boyfriend to stay on tour!

Weeks after Sania Mirza shocked the country saying that she would quit professional tennis after marriage, the sports star has announced yet another shocking decision.

The 23-year-old tennis ace’s family has reportedly called off the her engagement to childhood friend Mohammad Sohrab Mirza.

“We were friends for half a decade, but found ourselves incompatible during our engagement period. I wish Sohrab the best in life,” Sania has been quoted as saying in a English media report.

According to Telugu TV news channel reports, the family’s decision came after the Hyderabad girl poured her heart out to her father through SMSes.

Mirza says,”2009 was an extremely good year.”

Sania Mirza will team up with Virginia Ruano Pascual of Spain for the Australian Open commencing next month. Sania had a highly successful season this year with her doubles partners Francesca Schiavone and Chia Jung Chuang. The former doubles number one Pascual has to her credit 11 Grand Slams which includes 10 in doubles.

Sania said,”I will be playing with Virginia Ruano Pascual in the Australian Open and if we do well, we’ll continue to play together.”

Sania, who had won the 2009 Australian Open mixed doubles title with her partner Mahesh Bhupathi, said that she had an extremely good season as she finished within top 100 for the five successive years.

Sania said, “For Indian tennis, it was an extremely good year. Mahesh and I won the Australian Open mixed doubles title while Leander won two Grand Slams in doubles. Yuki Bhambri won a junior Grand Slam and we also reached the World Group in Davis Cup after several years.”

“Personally, I am happy with the way things have gone for me despite some injury issues. I won my maiden Grand Slam title and finished in the top 100 for the fifth consecutive year,” she added. Sania speaking about her most memorable tennis encounter said, “Beating world number 12 Marion Bartoli in Osaka in singles and winning Australian Open title in mixed doubles were memorable for me.”

Sania Mirza participates in India’s ‘Solidarity against Terror’.

On Sunday, Sania Mirza lent her status in support of an anti-terrorism event held in New Delhi.

Mirza was among a bevy of eminent figures form the worlds of sports, arts and civil society who took part in the hour-long ceremony, which was organized by India’s home ministry under the theme ‘A Nation In Solidarity Against Terror’.

The November 29 staging was symbolic, as it marked 12 months since the end of the four-day terrorist siege across Mumbai, in which at least 173 people were killed and more than 300 injured.

Other famous Indians at the India Gate war memorial with Mirza included Bollywood actor Shah Rukh Kahn, Olympic gold medalist shooter Abhinav Bindra and violin player L Subramaniam. Several government ministers were also present.

As part of the cultural agenda of music and readings, the tennis star evoked Rabindranath Tagore’s famous poem ‘Where The Mind is Without Fear’. Singers Kavita Krishnamurthy, Shankar Mahadevan, Shreya Ghoshal and Shilpa Rao performed iconic leader Mahatama Gandhi’s favourite bhajan (devotional songs).

Currently ranked No.58, Mirza, a practicing Muslim, negotiates a tricky path between delighting fans with her on-court achievements and drawing criticism from conservative sections of society.

In 2008 she was awarded an honorary Doctor of Letters degree from a university in the city of Chennai.

Anna K. a tennis ambassador?

 Elena Dementieva and Maria Kirilenko will take on Zheng Jie of China and Sania Mirza of India in a “Russia v Asia” clash at Malawati Stadium in Shah Alam on Dec 19-20.

The tentative format of play is one doubles on the first day and two singles matches the next day.

This is the first time WTA Tour players will play an exhibition in Malaysia as the previous two years featured ATP stars. Billed as the ‘Asia versus Russia — The Gram Slam’, the tournament sees Russian beauty Anna Kournikova as its ambassador. Kournikova will join Tourism Minister Datuk Seri Ng Yen Yen at the official launch of the exhibition match in Bukit Bintang at 2pm and is set to meet ‛fans’ at the National Tennis Centre (NTC) along Jalan Duta at about 4pm.

World No 5 Elena is a seasoned campaigner on the tour, having won 16 WTA titles and also the gold medal in last year’s Beijing Olympics while Maria, who was World No 18 last year, is a rising star.

Zheng Jie’s prowess is in doubles and her most memorable year was in 2006 when she and Yan Zi won two Grand Slam titles (Australian Open and Wimbledon).

This year, she created history by becoming the first China player to reach the Wimbledon semi-finals.

Sania, who won the mixed doubles gold with Leander Paes in the 2006 Doha Asian Games, has won one singles and eight doubles titles on the WTA Tour.

The exhibition is also a nice introduction to the Malaysian Open Classic, a new event on the Sony Ericsson WTA Tour calendar, to be hosted in Kuala Lumpur next February.

Tourism Minister Datuk Dr Ng Yen Yen will launch the Russia v Asia match at the Pavilion in Kuala Lumpur today and joining her will be former star Anna Kournikova, the ambassador of the event.

Mirza advances in Osaka.

Fifth seed Shahar Peer made a swift exit from the HP Open in Osaka on Monday after losing in the first round to India’s Sania Mirza.

The Israeli started well, claiming the first set, but Mirza’s powerful groundstrokes eventually wore her down, the world number 61 winning 3-6 6-3 6-4 in one hour and 52 minutes.

Eighth seed Yaroslava Shvedova is also out after losing to Mathilde Johansson of France 7-5 2-6 7-5.

The other two seeds in action, Francesca Schiavone and Melinda Czink, both advanced.

Schiavone, seeded four, beat Anne Kremer 7-5 6-2 while seventh-seeded Czink overcame Ryoko Fuda 6-4 6-4.

Britain’s Katie O’Brien is through after a 6-3 6-4 win over America’s Alexa Glatch while Viktoriya Kutuzova won the first set of her match against Maria Kirilenko 6-2 before the Russian was forced to retire.

O’Brien could meet top seed Caroline Wozniacki next if the Dane overcomes Ayumi Morita in her opener.

Mauresmo out, Pennetta in.

Former world No1 Amelie Mauresmo crashed out of the US Open to Aleksandra Wozniak in straight sets.

The 21-year-old Canadian took a closely-fought first set 6-4 but the Frenchwoman collapsed in a dismal second set.

She piled up the unforced errors and lost all three service games en route to a 6-0 thrashing.

It was a painful end for Mauresmo who won two Grand Slams only back in 2006.

The 10th seed Flavia Pennetta scorched into the third round trouncing Sania Mirza 6-0, 6-0.

The Italian 27-year-old needed just 50 minutes to end the challenge of the Indian.

Sania Mirza’s complicated life goes on and on.

Sania Mirza has had to deal with criticism over her court apparel, and for voicing her opinion on the subject of safe sex. Plus she’s been threatened with a lawsuit for having her bare feet too close to an Indian flag. Then it was reported a couple weeks ago that two stalkers were arrested a day apart after both showed up at her house in Hyderabad, India. One of the admirers told her father he wanted to be her husband, while the other threatened suicide if her impending engagement wasn’t called off.  Miss Mirza has a hot new fiancée, businessman and family friend Sohrab Mirza. He gave her a ring reportedly worth $205,000, and was nice enough to have the same last name as her, so she doesn’t have to do deal with all the name-changing business at the post office and the DMV. Let’s hope this popular Indian player can put all the bad stuff behind her and just be allowed to focus on playing tennis… and finding a non-controversial wedding dress.

Couple of days after her engagement to her childhood friend and businessman Sohrab Mirza, Sania Mirza was back at the stadium in Hyderabad to practice tennis. Sania was wearing an engagement ring on her henna filled hands. Her fiance was sitting and watching her at the Lal Bahadur Stadium. Sania will be leaving soon for the hard court season on July 16, which starts with Lexington Open followed by Stanford Cup, Vancouver and the Bronx and then she will take part in the U.S. Open Tennis Championship in August 2009.