The Hindu : Sport / Tennis : Sania voted WTA Newcomer of the Year

Online edition of India's National Newspaper
Thursday, Mar 23, 2006

Sport

Sport - Tennis

Sania voted WTA Newcomer of the Year

New Delhi : Sania Mirza continues to bask in glory of her last year's performance and was announced the `Newcomer of the Year' by the WTA for winning the Hyderabad Open and ending the year ranked a career-best No. 31.

Sania, who has had a disappointing season so far this year, was honoured at the second annual joint ATP and Sony Ericsson WTA Awards ceremony on Tuesday.

Meanwhile, Roger Federer and U.S. Open champion Kim Clijsters were named the 2005 `Players of the Year' and also won the `Fans' Favourite Award'.

Federer's fellow players also voted him the Stefan Edberg `Sportsman of the Year' for the second straight year.

Clijsters, who rose to No. 2 in the WTA rankings after a wrist injury sidelined her for most of 2004, picked up four awards in all including the `Comeback Player of the Year' by the media and the `Karen Krantzcke Sportsmanship' award, decided by her peers, for the fifth time.

Good samaritan

Carlos Moya, who donated a cheque of $52,000 following his Chennai Open win, won the Arthur Ashe Humanitarian award for spearheading relief efforts following the tsunami in South Asia and calling on his fellow players to do their part.

Other winners:

ATP awards: Comeback Player of the Year: James Blake; Most Improved Player: Rafael Nadal; Newcomer of the Year: Gael Monfils; Doubles Team of the Year: Bob & Mike Bryan; Fan favourites (doubles): Bob & Mike Bryan.

WTA awards: Most Improved Player: Ana Ivanovic; Doubles Team of the Year: Lisa Raymond & Samantha Stosur; Fan favourites (doubles): Daniela Hantuchova & Ai Sugiyama; Humanitarian Award: Liezel Huber; Diamnond Aces: Anastasia Myskina. — Agencies