Shock title a big boost
Singapore-born Australian Sharma hopes to build on Charleston victory at French Open
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Astra Sharma has risen to 125th in the world after her title win at the MUSC Health Women's Open in Charleston, South Carolina, on Sunday.
PHOTO: AGENCE FRANCE-PRESSE
CHARLESTON • Australian Astra Sharma, ranked 165th in the world, rallied to beat Ons Jabeur 2-6, 7-5, 6-1 on Sunday to win her first WTA title at Charleston, South Carolina.
Sharma, who beat a top-30 player for the first time in three attempts, broke Tunisian top seed Jabeur three times in the third set of the MUSC Health Women's Open final to give herself a chance to serve out the match, which she did in style with a love game.
The Singapore-born Australian, who reached the 2019 Australian Open mixed doubles final with compatriot John-Patrick Smith, became the sixth first-time singles winner on the WTA Tour this year.
Sharma, who has been ranked as high as 85th in the world, rose to 125th on the strength of the victory in her second career singles final.
Jabeur, who climbed to a career-high ranking 25th since becoming the first Arab woman to reach a Grand Slam quarter-final at last year's Australian Open, used her wide array of weapons to dominate the first set, mixing deep ground strokes with lobs and angled passing shots to build a 5-1 lead and pocketing the set without facing a break point.
But Sharma gained the first break of the second set for a 3-1 lead. Jabeur immediately broke back and they went with serve to the 12th game in which she led 40-15 before Sharma clawed back four straight points to take the set - sealing it when she raced forward to reach a drop shot and scooped the ball back past her opponent.
After they traded breaks early in the third, Sharma won the final four games to triumph.
The 25-year-old was in disbelief afterwards, saying: "My mind's just blank right now, I can't believe that's just happened.
"I don't even know what to say, I'm just so grateful to everyone who's been behind me the whole time."
With the European clay-court swing under way, Sharma hopes her title win can set her up for an extended run at next month's French Open, where she has been eliminated in the first round in the past two years.
"This gives me huge confidence," she said. "Not just this win, it's the whole week, back-to-back consolidated wins. The level of play from me was great all week, so I'm so happy."
AGENCE FRANCE-PRESSE
