It's not a coincidence that the three WTA doubles titles Sania Mirza has won have come in partnership with Liezel Huber. With the Hyderabad Open in 2004, the Bangalore Open this year and now the Kolkata Open in her kitty, Sania has completed her Indian collection at least so far as doubles goes and she made no bones about her reliance on the South African, be it on court or off it.

“She hates me for saying this in public, but Liezel is truly my mentor. I have learnt so much from her. She has taught me how to carry myself,” Sania said after the top seeds’ 6-4, 6-0 victory over the third-seeded Ukrainians Yuliana Fedak and Yulia Beygelzimer.

Sania demonstrated her admiration for her partner by bowing after the South African hit a searing forehand crosscourt pass to set up match point on Fedak’s serve. Fittingly, it was Huber who hit the winning shot, a crunching volley to seal the triumph, and then paid tribute to her younger partner. “It’s hard to believe that Sania is just 19 and already has three doubles titles,” she said.

The first set was close as the pairs traded breaks, but once the Indo-South African duo broke Beygelzimer in the crucial 10th game of the first set, the tide turned decisively. They broke the Ukrainians at will in the second set and the 6-0 scoreline was a correct reflection of their complete dominance.