Sania Mirza  entered the main draw of the US Open, beating Columbia’s Catalina Castano in the final qualifying round on Friday.

Sania, ranked 160th, got the better of the 188th-ranked Columbian 6-1, 1-6, 6-3 after an hour and 48 minutes.

Sania saved four beak-points and broke Castano twice to race to race away with the first set.

However, the Columbian fought her way back, cashing in on both the break chances that came her way to take the second set.

In the decider, Sania saved four break-points and broke Castano twice to seal a berth in the main draw.

This is the first time since 2005 that Sania had to play in the qualifying round to enter a Grand Slam main draw because of dip in the rankings.

Her best performance at the US Open was a fourth round appearance in 2005.

Sania Mirza is not only in the news for her impending marriage but also for a film based on her life. Sonam Kapoor will play a character strikingly similar to Sania in Anees Bazmee’s romcom Thank You. The film’s shooting starts mid-April in Canada.

Sonam’s character is that of a pretty, young tennis player who falls in love with a guy, who turns out to be very wrong for her so she turns back from it before it gets too late. This bears a similarity to Sania’s engagement with Sohrab Mirza which was called off.

According to director Anees Bazmee, Akshay Kumar, who plays the male lead in the film, plays a playboy-like character, who is dating 30-35 girls at the same time. He gives up on flirting when he meets Sonam but he’s not serious about her either.

After the fiasco surrounding her marriage, not only because Shoaib is from Pakistan but also because another Hyderabadi woman Ayesha claiming to be Shoaib’s first wife, Sania is trying to be as discreet as possible about her wedding plans.

Sania even wants her wedding dress to be left alone! Sania has roped in designer brothers Shantanu and Nikhil who also happen to be Sania’s friends to design her bridal wear. When we tried to contact the duo they said, “Yes we are designing Sania’s wedding and reception outfits but we cannot divulge any further details on it.”

“Sania Mirza knows the truth and the family members from both sides are all happy about my wedding which is going to take place in Hyderabad on April 15,” said former Pakistani captain Shoaib.

In his first interaction with the media after arriving last Friday, a visibly relaxed Shoaib repeatedly stressed he was not going to discuss anything relating to his alleged earlier marriage with another Hyderabad girl Ayesha Siddiqui.

“The matter is sub judice and my lawyer will answer any queries on the subject,” was all that he said, despite persistent queries. However, the two-page statement issued by him referred to the subject in detail.

The Pakistani cricketer also made it clear that Sania will continue to play for India and he will represent Pakistan. “We are delighted at the way preparations are going on. The list of invitees is not yet finalised and we are still in the process of doing so. Definitely, all my family members will be here for the wedding since both Sania and I have the blessings of everyone concerned,” he explained.

In his statement, Shoaib reiterated that there was no valid nikah because they (Ayesha’s family) pressured him into it, with the intention to cheat. “In Islam, there can be a divorce, only if the nikah is valid. I was wrongly made to believe that the pictures Ayesha had sent me were of the girl I was marrying. I feel terrible about the mess created by a family, that has caused great grief to my own people and the family of my bride-to-be,” Shoaib said.

The Shoaib Malik-Ayesha Siddiqui tangle turned murkier on Sunday with the latter slapping serious charges against the Pakistani cricketer with the police.

Acting on the complaint filed late in the afternoon, the Banjara Hills police registered cases against Malik under sections 498A (subjecting married woman to cruelty), 420 (cheating) and 506 (criminal intimidation) of the IPC.

Police said Ayesha has alleged that Shoaib married her, then harassed her over petty issues and later denied the nikah ever took place. Now, the complaint says, Shoaib is trying to marry again without her consent.

Ayesha also alleged that Shoaib had offered her $1 million to keep the wedding under wraps and threatened to take her life in case she went to the media. A copy of the nikahnama was attached to the complaint, which was signed by Ayesha and brought to the police by her father.

Hyderabad poilce commsioner A K Khan said Shoaib cant leave the city without permission.

Sania Mirza is to be married to Shoaib Malik, the former cricket captain of Pakistan. A formal wedding reception has been scheduled within a month. There will be no engagement function.

Sania reportedly met Shoaib Malik in Dubai in February during a tournament and then they began seeing each others. Finally, both families talked and finalized the wedding between the two sports champions.

Sania Mirza’s career is on the decline after her broken engagement to her childhood friend, Sohrab Mirza. Shoaib is also going through a lean patch, as he is facing a ban imposed by the PCB for allegedly breaching the code of conduct.

According to some Pakistani media reports, Sania and Shoaib have been in a relationship for the last six months. This had led to disruption in the Hyderabad girl’s earlier engagement to childhood friend Sohrab Mirza.

It is believed that Shoaib’s mother met Sania’s family in Hyderabad and finalized their marriage.

The wedding ceremony of both the sports stars will take place in April, while the walima reception will be hosted by Shoaib on April 16 or 17 in Lahore, According to news  reports.

Shoaib was earlier engaged to another Hyderabad girl, Ayesha Siddiqui.

Tennis star Sania Mirza has called off her engagement with her childhood friend Sohrab Mirza.

According to reports, Sania’s father Imran has called off her engagement to Sohrab Mirza.

The tennis star was engaged to longtime friend Sohrab last July amidst much fanfare and media spotlight.

“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 report.

Inclusion of mixed doubles event in the London Olympics has come as fresh motivation for Sania Mirza to continue playing and the Indian tennis ace feels it would be best opportunity for India to win a medal.

The International Olympic Committee had recently given its nod to the mixed doubles event for the 2012 Summer Games.

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

Somdev Devvarman and Sania Mirza posted first-round victories on opening day of the U.S. Open to become the first man and woman from India to reach the second round of the same grand slam event.

Mirza defeated Olga Govortsova of Belarus 6-2 3-6 6-3, and qualifier Devvarman beat Portugal’s Frederico Gil 6-3 6-4 6-3.