Indian tennis star Sunitha Rao has progressed to the pre-quarter final of Gujarat NRE Coke ITF Women’s Challenger tennis tournament. Sunitha defeated US competitor Alexis Prousis in straight sets 6-0, 6-2. After Sania Mirza, Sunitha Rao is considered to be the next big star of women’s tennis in India.

Sania Mirza and Sunitha Rao crashed out of the Olympic tennis competition, losing to top-seeded Russians Svetlana Kuznentsova and Dinara Safina 4-6, 4-6 in the second round match at Olympic Green Stadium here Wednesday.

New Delhi: Carrying the hopes of a billion people is a ‘privilege’ for Sania Mirza and the Hyderabadi tennis ace vows to give everything it needs to bring home an individual Olympic medal, a feat only four Indians have managed since independence.

Sunitha Rao is ecstatic about playing in her maiden Olympics and is hopeful that together with Sania Mirza, they can win a medal for India in the doubles event in tennis.

US-born Sunitha along with Sania Mirza will compete in the women’s doubles at the Beijing Olympics, having got a wild-card entry Wednesday.

She might not be sizzling on the ITF circuit these days but Sunitha Rao reckons her consistent performance has prepared her well for the big occasion — Beijing Olympics — where she will pair up with Sania Mirza to compete in the women’s doubles event.