A new doubles force could be emerging on the WTA tour – and it all started in unexpected circumstances in October last year.
Kirsten Flipkens and Laura Siegemund played their first tournament together at the Ostrava Open when both their regular partners withdrew through injury, going on to reach the semi-finals.
Clearly the duo found an instant chemistry and in the two events they have combined at since – firstly the Transylvania Open in Cluj-Napoca in Romania and this week’s Hobart International – they have gone on to win the title.
Hobart crowd favourite Flipkens avenged her 2019 doubles defeat alongside Siegemund in defeating Panna Udvardy and Viktorija Golubic 6-4 7-5 on Sunday, and despite the blistering start to their partnership there is still plenty of room for growth.
“We both were set with other partners and they both cancelled on us last minute because they were injured, so we were in that kind of situation where it was too late or too difficult to find a new partner at that stage,” Siegemund said.
“We were happy to find anybody and that’s how we came together. I think sometimes out of the most unexpected situations come the greatest things.
“That’s my experience with doubles partners, with mixed partners, so I think that was just meant to be and now we’re really trying to work on our game and work as a team to hopefully play more.”
Flipkens retired from singles competition after Wimbledon last year, but has no plans of slowing down on the doubles circuit any time soon.
Two titles from three appearances alongside Siegemund has set the platform for a fruitful future and the duo have already mapped out a schedule to ensure they can keep gelling as a unit.
“It’s just a nice start to the year and the beginning of a nice partnership, and although I think personally we didn’t play maybe our best throughout the whole week… even if you don’t play your best and you still win a tournament that’s actually also something good to take into account,” Flipkens said.
“I’m still enjoying my time on the court and now we have made the schedule basically for the next couple of months together.
“After being in the finals here in 2019 in the doubles, to get to win the title with Lauren, it’s a nice way to start.”