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Sharon Fichman was not about to be denied a second time.
Playing in her second WTA final of 2019, the Canadian and her playing partner Nina Stojanovic rallied from behind to win the doubles title in Jurmala, Latvia. They defeated the top-seeded team of Jelena Ostapenko and Galina Voskoboeva 2-6, 7-6 (1), 10-6 to claim the top prize.
2019 WTA Baltic Open Champions 🏆🎾🙌🏻 Had such an amazing week with my incredible partner Nina Stojanovic 👯♀️💫 So happy to win this title with such a wonderful person 💗 First WTA title together but not the last 🔥🔥 pic.twitter.com/uxoiDnjCol
— Sharon Fichman (@sharon_fichman) July 29, 2019
It marks the first WTA title for Fichman in over five years. Back in January of 2014, she earned her first career doubles title on tour while playing with American Maria Sanchez at the ASB Classic in Auckland, New Zealand.
Today’s victory didn’t come easy for the Canadian. Early on, it seemed like it might not even happen. After the first set started off with three breaks of serve, the home-favourite Ostapenko and her partner Voskoboeva tallied four straight points to jump in front by a double break. They would comfortably take the set 6-2.
Sharon Fichman wins her first WTA title in over 5 years (Auckland Jan 2014)- taking the Baltic Open in Jurmala with partner Nina Stojanovic.
— Michael Gallo (@Galloots) July 28, 2019
But, in the second set, the Canadian-Serbian duo would respond. After the set started similarly with three breaks of serve, Fichman and Stojanovic converted an all-important break point to level things at 3. In the tiebreak, the duo won four mini-breaks in a row and easily sent the match to a super tiebreaker.
From there, Fichman and Stojanovic used that momentum from the previous set to close out the match. They won eight of the first nine points in the super tie-break, before finishing off their opponents at 9-6 with another mini-break.
CHAMPION(S)! 🏆🏆
🇨🇦 @sharon_fichman is back in the winner’s circle. She and 🇷🇸 Nina Stojanovic defeated Ostapenko/Voskoboeva 1-6, 7-6(1), [10-6] at the @balticopen2019. Congrats, Sharon and Nina!
📸: Baltic Open pic.twitter.com/RmdsZScKJi
— Tennis Canada (@TennisCanada) July 28, 2019
It’s been a long journey for Fichman to be back on top. The Canadian was inactive on the professional circuit for nearly two years, not playing from May 2016 through last April. She has since come back and been a force on the doubles circuit.
Earlier this year, back in May, Fichman and her partner Nicole Melichar fell in the Nuremberg Cup final to fellow Canadian Gabriela Dabrowski and China’s Yifan Xu. It actually marked the first time ever that two Canadian women tennis players made the finals at a WTA event. That tournament, along with the Baltic Open, took place on clay.
(Photo: WTA Tour)
