{"id":13711,"date":"2019-01-11T16:46:38","date_gmt":"2019-01-11T08:46:38","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.tennis.com.au\/wa\/?p=13711"},"modified":"2019-01-16T15:23:50","modified_gmt":"2019-01-16T07:23:50","slug":"was-rising-tennis-star-astra-sharma-to-appear-in-debut-grand-slam-at-the-australian-open","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.tennis.com.au\/wa\/news\/2019\/01\/11\/was-rising-tennis-star-astra-sharma-to-appear-in-debut-grand-slam-at-the-australian-open","title":{"rendered":"WA\u2019s Astra Sharma to make Grand Slam debut at the Australian Open"},"content":{"rendered":"

Western Australia\u2019s rising tennis star, Astra Sharma<\/strong>, beams unassuming grace and poise, despite surging ferociously through the Women\u2019s Singles qualifying rounds of the Australian Open<\/strong> and setting up her debut Grand Slam appearance<\/strong>.<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

Ranked number<\/strong> 10<\/strong> in Australia<\/strong>, and with a WTA ranking of 230<\/strong>, Sharma beat top seed, and former world number 2, Vera Zvonareva<\/strong>, 6-3, 6-2 in round one qualifying, with continuing victories in round two and three against Varvara Flink<\/strong> 6-7 (7), 6-2, 6-4 and Irina Khromacheva<\/strong>, 5-7, 7-6 (9), 7-6 (12).<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

At just 23 years of age, the right-handed powerhouse from Booragoon, is no stranger to success. Having won her first professional title at the 2015 Egyptian ITF<\/strong> event in Sharm El Sheikh; Sharma also lays claim to the 2017 Targu Jiu ITF <\/strong>and Graz ITF<\/strong>.<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

2018 was a year of stellar performances from the young gun who, following an Australian Open Women\u2019s Doubles Wildcard entry, commenced the year with a first round appearance alongside partner Belinda Woolcock. Success continued throughout the year with Sharma winning the Baton Rouge ITF, Gatineau ITF and Cairns ITF titles, in addition to a noteworthy finals appearance at the Oralano ITF. Undeniably, Sharma\u2019s future look\u2019s bright.<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

But where did it all begin for the humble athlete who is just as talented on court as she is off? Sharma admits that she can barely remember life without tennis or physical activity. Growing up in Singapore with younger brother Ashwin and sister Tara, Sharma\u2019s love of the sport grew from an active lifestyle encouraged by her parents, Dev and Susan.<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

\u201cMy Dad was always passionate about keeping us active. He was a National high jumper for Singapore and moved us to Australia when I was about seven so we could enjoy more balance between academia and physical activity\u201d said Sharma.<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

Coming through the ranks of Tennis West\u2019s National Academy<\/strong>, Sharma took an active involvement in her development, showcasing a clear focus and commitment to her priorities, said Tennis West\u2019s National Academy Head Coach, Andrew Roberts<\/strong>.<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

\u201cAstra has always done more than the rest. During her time at the Academy she always showed independence in her training. This trait has remained and is something we notice every time she returns to Perth,\u201d said Roberts.<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

State Academy Coach Len Cannell<\/strong> said that Sharma is such a positive role model for the younger female players coming through the Academy.<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

\u201cAstra has set the bar exceptional high for our girls coming through the Academy. Most of her fitness records still stand, but it\u2019s more than that. She\u2019s an exceptional athlete that is driven, respectful and above all appreciative. It\u2019s her performance both on and off the court that we encourage all of our girls to aspire to,\u201d said Cannell.<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

The self-driven superstar finished Year 12 with aspirations of joining the Pro Circuit. However a broken ankle left Sharma sidelined until a chance meeting with Associate Head Tennis Coach, Aleke Tsoubanos <\/strong>of Vanderbilt University<\/strong> in Tennessee. That meeting instigated a whirlwind move to the other side of the world where Sharma went on to play five years of College Tennis, gaining a degree in Medicine, Health and Society.<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

\u201cWhen I first saw Astra play, she took my breath away. Her court presence, most notably her ability to move so quickly, and so gracefully. It\u2019s what set her apart from the rest,\u201d<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

\u201cAnd she\u2019s come such a long way. Her commitment is unwavering, she shows complete dedication to doing whatever it takes to improve her tennis IQ. She trains, she plays, she reads, she watches; she\u2019s like a sponge. Astra has squeezed her Vanderbilt experience dry and it\u2019s been instrumental to her success,\u201d said Tsoubanos.<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

\u201cI was 17 and not very good\u201d laughs Sharma \u201cOne minute I was playing a tournament in Melbourne and the next thing I knew, I was signed and moving to the other side of the world. It doesn\u2019t usually happen that quickly, it was such a blur,\u201d said Sharma.<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

Sharma credits the key to managing the life changing move, whilst harnessing the most from the opportunity, has been in creating balance. A formidable family trait, and one that\u2019s been reinforced by Sharma\u2019s U.S College Coach, Geoff McDonald<\/strong> from Vanderbilt University<\/strong>.<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

\u201cIt\u2019s so important to be gentle on yourself and to know that it\u2019s OK to take it easy. Geoff always says that the best way to get better is to not get hurt. I respect him a lot, he\u2019s like a father figure to me so I\u2019m always heeding his advice,\u201d said Sharma.<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

Sharma is adamant that if you don\u2019t find balance, you\u2019ll end up either burnt out or injured.<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

\u201cWhen I\u2019m home in Perth, I love hiking through National Parks and kayaking on the Swan River. When I\u2019m not preparing for tournaments, Mum and I enjoy the foodie scene, we love exploring new tastes together\u201d said Sharma.<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

\u201cGeoff challenges me both on and off the court. He pushes me to read as much as I can. It\u2019s now part of how I prepare for, and come down from, matches. At the moment I\u2019m reading Sapiens by Yuval Noah Harari, it looks at how humans have evolved over time. It\u2019s providing some great insight,\u201d said Sharma.<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

Sharma\u2019s speedy rankings rise, suggest that, much like her whirlwind signing to Vanderbilt, that she\u2019s the girl for making things happen quickly. In 2015, Sharma held a WTF ranking of 787, which, following injury, fell dramatically in 2016 to 974. However Sharma managed to slice her ranking in half to 409 by June 2018, before acing her way to an all-time WTF ranking high of 230<\/strong>.<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

Tsoubanos notes the remarkable rise considering Sharma has only been full time on the tour since June 2018.<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

\u201cIt\u2019s really exciting and rewarding to see Astra doing so well. To be honest, it\u2019s no surprise to us. We know how hard she works,\u201d<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

\u201cShe\u2019s hungry and she\u2019s determined to continue her development as she forges her way into the higher echelons of the rankings. There\u2019s no doubt she\u2019ll hit WTA\u2019s top 100 and be competing in major Grand Slam draws,\u201d said Tsoubanos.<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

And if Sharma\u2019s ranking rise isn\u2019t testament enough, then you need look no further than her long list of accolades from Vanderbilt University, <\/strong>that Tsoubanos says, is what makes her a stand out.<\/p>\n

\u201cAstra\u2019s contribution to Vanderbilt is almost impossible to quantify. She was an incredible student-athlete, one of the genuinely kindest souls I\u2019ve had the pleasure to coach in 12 years,\u201d<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

\u201cShe\u2019s an incredible leader, a stand out mentor, an amazing player and an ultimate competitor who is fiercely loyal to those in her corner,\u201d<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

\u201cThen there\u2019s the fact that Astra is the most decorated women\u2019s tennis player in Vanderbilt\u2019s history, and arguably, in the history of the University\u2019s athletic department,\u2019 said Tsoubanos.<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

In 2015, Sharma was awarded Vanderbilt Universities Athlete of the Year, <\/strong>the NCAA Tournament MVP <\/strong>and SEC Tournament MVP<\/strong>. In 2016 she was named Ohio Valley\u2019s Player to Watch<\/strong> and in 2017<\/strong> was the number 1 seed<\/strong> at the NCAA Doubles Tournament<\/strong> in addition to being named the 2017 SEC Player of the Year<\/strong>.<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

Whilst at Vanderbilt, Sharma led teams to a National Championship (2015), two Final Fours (2016, 2017) and the NCAA Finals (2018). Furthermore, Sharma contributed to the Vanderbilt\u2019s collection of 3 SEC Tournament Championships and 2 SEC Regular Season Championships. Championship\u2019s Vanderbilt University had previously never laid claim to.<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

So what does the future hold for the young guns who\u2019s already achieved so much? Sharma attests to the fact that she won\u2019t be slowing down any time soon, determined to continue her impressive trajectory as she storms her into her first Grand Slam, on her way to the top.<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

\u201cI\u2019ve never needed anyone else\u2019s encouragement or motivation. I know what I want and the work that\u2019s required to get there. There\u2019s no stopping me now,\u201d said Sharma.<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

Sharma joins Thanasi Kokkinakis<\/strong> as the only Australian to qualify for the Australian Open main draw through qualifying.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Western Australia\u2019s rising tennis star, Astra Sharma, beams unassuming grace and poise, despite surging ferociously through the Women\u2019s Singles qualifying rounds of the Australian Open and setting up her debut Grand Slam appearance.   Ranked number 10 in Australia, and with a WTA ranking of 230, Sharma beat top seed, and former world number 2, […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":5812,"featured_media":13712,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[1],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-13711","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-news"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.tennis.com.au\/wa\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/13711","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.tennis.com.au\/wa\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.tennis.com.au\/wa\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.tennis.com.au\/wa\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/5812"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.tennis.com.au\/wa\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=13711"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.tennis.com.au\/wa\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/13711\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.tennis.com.au\/wa\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/13712"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.tennis.com.au\/wa\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=13711"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.tennis.com.au\/wa\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=13711"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.tennis.com.au\/wa\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=13711"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}