New Delhi: Controversies over the selection of support staff for the Beijing-bound Indian contingent cropped up on Friday when the Indian Olympic Association (IOA) decided to include tennis star Sania Mirza’s mother as one of the officials of the tennis squad.

Sania Mirza and Bethanie Mattek overcame a fighting Russian pair of Elena Vesnina and Vera Zvonareva to book a semifinal berth in the $600,000 WTA East West Bank Classic tournament.

The Indo-American pair, seeded second, pipped the Russian duo 6-3, 1-6, 10-8 in one hour and 14 minutes in the quarter-finals of the Tier II hard court event last night.

Alisha Abdullah calls herself the ‘Racing Angel’. Why not? When you happen to be the first woman superbike racer in the country, driving the boys to nightmare on the track and crazy off it, you very much qualify for the title. “It feels good,” to be competing against men, says the 19-year-old without a fuss.

A senior Bengal Olympic Association (BOA) official is planning to write a letter to the Indian Olympic Association (IOA) protesting the inclusion of Sania Mirza’s mother in the Beijing-bound Indian contingent.

A senior official in the BOA, who declined to be named, questioned the rationale behind including Mrs Nasima Mirza in the contingent, while barring Bengal heptathlete Sushmita Singa Roy’s coach Kuntal Roy.

Rafael Nadal beat Andy Murray 7-6 (2), 6-3 to reach the final of the Rogers Cup on Saturday and put himself in line for his seventh title of the year.