is cool

New Delhi, Feb 3 (UNI) Australian Open champion Serena Williams believes that Indian tennis sensation Sania Mirza has the potential to rise higher in the women's circuit and should remain focused irrespective of distractions that came her way.

Sania's attire and attitude has often been subjects of controversy even as she received adulation from thousands of crazy fans all over the country, but the eight-time Grand Slam winner American gave a word of advice that the Indian star should take all these in her stride and not get bogged down.

''She (Sania) is a great player and has the ability to rise up to the top. She should concentrate on what she is doing and focused on things tennis,'' Serena said during a conference call interaction with the media at the DLTA complex here last night.

Serena will lead a pack of players mostly from the lower half of the top 100 in WTA rankings in the Sony Ericsson International -- rechristened for one-year-old Bangalore open -- tournament at KSLTA grounds in Bangalore from February 12-18.

World number 48 Sania, who lost to eventual winner Serena in the Australian Open third round in 2005 in their last meeting, will play in both singles and doubles.

Serena said modern players ''will have to remain happy'' with all the criticisms and intense media scrutiny.

The 25-year-old Serena, who made a remarkable comeback to win her third Australian Open title last month after spending most of last year in the sidelines due to injury, is excited to tour India for the first time.

''I am just excited to tour India. I had not been in India earlier. I heard India is real cool. Bangalore is nice and warm ...

it looks like we'll have lots of fun and am looking forward to play in the tournament,'' says Serena, who finished at 89 last year but rose to 14 after winning the season-beginning Grand Slam in Melbourne.

Among the 24-names confirmed participation in the main draw, Sania is the third highest-ranked player after Serena and Italian Mara Santangelo (41) and Serena had the 20-year-old Hyderabadi in her mind when asked who could be her strongest opponent in the 175,000 dollar tier III tournament.

''I don't know, anybody can win (the tournament). Sania is a good player and would be tough to beat,'' she said.

When asked her sister Venus could make a comeback after long injury lay-off just as she did, Serena said her elder sister could achieve anything and she would surely come back, adding that it would be ''awesome'' to partner Venus in doubles.

Meanwhile, Fed Cupper Sikha Uberoi has been handed a wild card and tournament director Sunder Raju said the organisers would see that deserving Indians are given wild cards without sacrificing the profile of the tournament.

The organisers will grant two more wild cards and four slots will be filled by the qualifiers while two players will be given entry from feed ups.

The qualifiers will start from February 10 and the main draw will be announced on February 11, Mr Raju said.

The other players for the main draw include Russian Vasilisa Bardina (world no. 55), Italian Romina Oprandi (57), Croatian Jelena Tosic Kostanic (60), Sania's one-time doubles partner Australian Alicia Molik (99).

UNI