Sania reaches US Open mixed doubles final, in line for third Grand Slam

Sania Mirza is in line to win her third Grand Slam title, but was knocked out of women's doubles semis

Indian tennis star Sania Mirza is in line to win her third Grand Slam title and first with new partner Bruno Soares after the duo reached the mixed doubles finals of the US Open. The top-seeded pair, however, had to struggle to make the cut, beating Yung-Jan Chan and Ross Hutchins in three sets.

The Indo-Brazilian team overcame the unseeded but fighting Tapiei-German pair 7-5 4-6 10-8 in the semifinals, which lasted an hour and 33 minutes.

The match was closely contested, with both teams breaking each other four times. In the end, it came down more to unforced errors than outright winners -- Sania and Soares won a total of 74 points, only three more than their rivals.

Sania and Soares will face unseeded Abigail Spears of the US and Santiago Gonzalez of Mexico in the finals.

This will be Sania's fifth mixed doubles final appearance at a Grand Slam, having won Australian Open (2009, 2012) twice with compatriot Mahesh Bhupathi.

The 27-year old had reached the Australian Open mixed doubles final this year with Romanian partner Horea Tecau, but failed to clinch the title. 

In her women's doubles match, however, Sania and Cara Black of Zimbabwe were knocked out of contention for the title by Swiss comeback queen Martina Hingis and Italian Flavia Pennetta in the semifinals. 

Sania and Black suffered a 2-6, 4-6 loss in an hour and 10 minutes to their unseeded rivals at the Louis Armstrong stadium in Flushing on Thursday. Last year, too, she had exited the tournament at the same stage. 

This is Sania's second consecutive exit at this stage at the US Open. Last year, she and China's Jie Zheng failed to make it to the finals.

All other Indians have already exited from the last Grand Slam of the season as Rohan Bopanna and Leander Paes fell at different stages of their respective events. There was no Indian playing in the men's singles as Somdev Burman failed to qualify for the main draw.