Sharon Fichman

Sharon Fichman (born December 3, 1990, in Toronto, Canada) is a Canadian right-handed tennis player.

Fichman was ranked # 5 on the junior circuit in December 2006.

Tennis career

She started playing tennis at the age of 5. She won her first tournament at six.

She attended Forest Hill Collegiate Institute. [http://slam.canoe.ca/Slam/Tennis/News/2004/07/21/551277.html]

By age 13 she was the world’s # 2 player under 14. [http://www.todaysparent.com/craftsactivities/sportslessons/article.jsp?content=20040630_153230_4524&page=1]

In 2004 at the age of 13 she was Canada's Under-18 Indoor & Outdoor National girls champ, and also won the doubles title with partner Melanie Gloria .

In 2006 she and Anastasia Pavlyuchenkova dominated doubles at the 2006 Grand Slam Juniors by winning the Australian Open and French Open.

More recently at the 2006 U.S. Open Juniors, Sharon quartered in singles and came close to capturing her third Grand Slam in doubles with a finalist showing. She lost in the finals of the Canadian Open Junior Championship in both singles and doubles.

Federation Cup

Through March 2007 she was 5–1 in Federation Cup matches. [http://www.fedcup.com/teams/player.asp?Player=100036084]

Maccabiah Games

In 2005 Fichman, who is Jewish, won the gold medal at the 17th Maccabiah Games in Israel at the age of 14. Fichman also won a bronze medal in the women's doubles, and wrapped up the event with silver medal in mixed doubles. She was also Canada's flag-bearer in the Games.

"I represented my religion and my country", she said, minutes after beating highly-touted 23-year-old Nicole Ptak of the United States 6–2, 6–2, for the gold medal. "These Games are not just all about sports but meeting people, learning about culture and building friendship. Being the No. 1 Jewish female tennis player in the world is also not too shabby." [http://www.maccabicanada.com/Maccabi/myweb.php?hls=1000&newsid=15]

tyle of play

Fichman's style is a counter-punching baseliner, but she prides herself on being able to play any style. She employs a variety of spins and pace, and a wide array of shots. She is an explosive player capable of reeling off an improbable winner in a defense-to-offense situation.

Miscellaneous

*Her parents, Julia and Bobby, emigrated from Romania to Israel and then, in 1999, to Canada. Bobby was a semi-pro tennis player. Now he's a nuclear engineer.

*Her idol is Belgian Justine Henin-Hardenne. "I've been a fan since she won the U.S. Open last year," Fichman said. "There is just something special about her that is inexplicable. Her will, her mental abilities are what set her apart." [http://slam.canoe.ca/Slam/Tennis/News/2004/07/21/551277.html]

Links

* [http://www.itftennis.com/juniors/players/player.asp?player=100036084 ITF bio]
* [http://www.thetennischannel.com/game/players/PlayerProfile.aspx?id=1593 Tennis Channel bio]
* [http://www.sonyericssonwtatour.com/2/players/playerprofiles/PlayerBio.asp?PlayerID=313283 WTA bio]
* [http://www.fedcup.com/teams/player.asp?Player=100036084 Fed Cup record]
* [http://www.todaysparent.com/craftsactivities/sportslessons/article.jsp?content=20040630_153230_4524&page=1 "Athletes' World," 6/30/04]
* [http://slam.canoe.ca/Slam/Tennis/News/2004/07/21/551277.html "Teen phenom serves notice; Canadian tennis is looking for its next star and Mike Ulmer thinks he might have found her," 7/21/04]
* [http://web.mac.com/undergroundtennis/iWeb/..%3A%3AUnderground%20Tennis%3A%3A../Sharon%20Fichman%3A%20Interview.html Interview, 10/25/06]