MELBOURNE: Ace Indian tennis star Sania Mirza and her partner Barbora Strycova of Czech Republic crashed out of the season-opening Australian Open after suffering defeat in the third round of women's doubles event here on Sunday.
After going down in the first set, the fourth-seed Indo-Czech pair bounced back strongly in the second before again losing to the Japanese pair of Eri Hozumi and Miyu Kato in the tie-breaker in a thrilling clash that lasted one hour and 53 minutes.
The final score of a three-set affair read 6-3, 2-6, 6-2 in favour of the unseeded Japanese pair.
Mirza was looking to clinch her second consecutive Australian Open women's doubles title this year. She lifted the crown last year with Switzerland's Martina Hingis.
The defeat might have come as a huge blow to the Indian tennis fans, especially after Rohan Bopanna's exit from the men's doubles.
However, India will now look forward to the mixed doubles contest, where Sania, Bopanna and Leander Paes have reached the second round of the tournament.