“Maybe he sells them on Amazon, I don't know”

Kamilla Rakhimova (Uzbekistan) and Sara Sorribes Tormo (Spain) won the doubles competition at the Transylvania Open against China's Xinyu Wang and Saisai Zheng, score 7-6 (7), 6-3.

Transylvania Open champion Kamilla Rakhimova: “I'm happy to hold this wonderful trophy”

Before the start of the match, Rakhimova made a special gesture, offering a gift to a spectator in the stands.

“Ladies and gentlemen, one of the players in this final has chosen to give a gift to one of you. Under a chair is a bag like this with a pair of shoes from Kamilla Rakhimova“, the announcer of the tournament said on the microphone.

After a few seconds, a woman in the center area found a black bag under her seat containing a pair of shoes with Rakhimova's autograph and a short message from her.

At the end of the game, the 24-year-old player spoke about this gesture, but also about the title won in Cluj-Napoca and the interaction with the fans in BTarena.

– Congratulations on the victory, a big success for you. how are you feeling now
– Thank you very much. I am very excited and happy to hold this wonderful trophy, to add it to my collection. It's a very nice tournament, it's unique, and you want to win and remember this week. I am very happy.

– In the semi-final you had a crazy match, in the final you had an impressive comeback in the second set, from 0-3 to 6-3. How do you manage to do that?
– Well, you know, it's double, things can always change, but you have to be prepared and know what to do. We followed our strategy, stayed focused, had energy and positive thoughts and that paid off. We kept fighting, we stayed brave in the decisive moments and we believed in ourselves.

– You have played here before. What's it like to come back and win the trophy?
– I am very happy that this year I was able to return here, because last year I could not. There's another trophy in my collection, a bigger one. I'm very happy and obviously I hope to be here next year and have a better evolution in singles as well. Unfortunately, I ran into Sorana (nr. Cîrstea) in the first round. She's a great player, I could see that from the moment I played against her.

Kamilla Rakhimova, special gesture before the doubles final at the Transylvania Open/Photo: Imago Images

Kamilla Rakhimova gave a pair of shoes to a spectator: 'A beautiful memory'

– Before the match, you made an impressive gesture by giving a pair of sneakers to a fan in the stands. How did you come up with the idea?
– It's just a pair of sports shoes, I have a lot. These are used sneakers that I played with, and rather than throw them away, I'd rather give them a chance for fans to have a nice, maybe emotional memory. So why not?

– What do you think it means for the spectator who found the shoes under the chair?
– I'm not sure, she's a woman, right? Maybe he'll put them on the shelf, or maybe he'll sell them on Amazon. I don't know. They are hers now anyway.

– At the same time, I saw you at the end signing autographs and taking pictures with the fans. How is it to know that you are so appreciated here?
– Well, there's a great crowd here, people come, support us and it's an excellent field to play on. The colors of the field are very beautiful and you feel supported in difficult moments. I want to repay their support and I know that many children are watching, maybe they are inspired. So it's the least I can do.

Kamilla Rakhimova won the 5th doubles title of her career, after Phillip Island (2021), Linz (2021), Tampico (2023) and Bogota (2024). In 2022, the athlete from Yekaterinburg played the final of the doubles competition at the Transylvania Open, alongside Yana Sizikova. The two were defeated 6-3, 7-5 by Kirsten Flipkens and Laura Siegemund.

Transylvania Open doubles champions Sara Sorribes Tormo (left) and Kamilla Rakhimova (right)/Photo: Imago Images

The course of the Rakhimova/Sorribes Tormo pair at the Transylvania Open

• Round 1: 6-4, 6-2 vs. I-Hsuan Cho/Yi Tsen Cho

• Quarter finals: 6-2, 6-3 vs. Maja Chwalinska/Kaja Juvan

• Semifinals: 6-2, 6-7 (6), 11-9 vs. Veronika Erjavec/Tiantsoa Rakotomanga Rajaonah

• Final: 7-6 (7), 6-3 vs. Xinyu Wang/Saisai Zheng