Sharon_Walraven
Sharon Walraven
Dutch wheelchair tennis player
Sharon Walraven (born 19 June 1970, Schaesberg) is a Dutch wheelchair tennis player. She became paraplegic at age 23 after complications following a fall while she was ice-skating.[1] She has won seven Grand Slams doubles titles partnering compatriot Esther Vergeer. At the 2008 Paralympics in Beijing she won the gold medal in the women's doubles competition. At the 2000 Paralympics in Sydney she won a silver medal in the women's singles competition. Walraven has a highest ranking of No.2 in singles and No.1 in doubles.
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Walraven won the doubles title with Griffioen in St Louis 2010,[2] however the pair lost in the final in Paris.[3] With Graviller she took the Florida Open title.[4]
With Vergeer, Walraven achieved the Grand Slam in 2011, defeating Griffioen and van Koot in all four finals. During the finals the pair recovered from being 5–2 down in the final set at Wimbledon and 6–1 down in the second set tiebreak at the US Open to win.[5][6][7][8] The pair were also victorious in the Masters.[9] Alongside Vergeer she lost the final at Boca Raton.[10]
2012 saw Walraven win a singles title in Trofeo della Mole.[11] However Walraven also lost finals in Sardinia,[12] Olot[13] and Gauteng.[14] In doubles competition Walraven won the first Grand Slam of the year, the Australian Open with Vergeer.[15] Throughout the rest of the year she won the Japan Open with Buis,[16] and titles in Olot and Sardinia with Ellerbrock.[13][17] Walraven was runner up at the Pensacola Open with Vergeer,[18] in Atlanta with Sevenans,[19] and made the finals in Gauteng and Johannesburg with Kruger.[14][20] Walraven helped her nation win a 25th World Team Cup final.[21]