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Post by Admin on Feb 24, 2015 20:51:56 GMT
Top-seeded Simona Halep earned the tenth title of her career and made it a Gulf double by capturing the Dubai Open with a tenacious and skilful 6-4, 7-6 (7/4) win over Karolina Pliskova on Saturday. The Romanian will defend the Doha title next week in good spirits after proving too mobile and tactically too flexible for the 22-year-old Pliskova, who has served the most aces on the WTA Tour this year - now 149 - but missed two break point chances early on, and they proved costly. Halep, who had shown herself a great fighter by coming back from close to defeat to Ekaterina Makarova in the quarter-finals, took nine points in a row to reach 5-3 against Ploskova and gain control of the first set. Halep also recovered from a break down in the second, and survived the disappointments of missing a match point on her serve in both the tenth and twelfth games. On the second occasion she bungled it with two double faults in a row. However she eventually closed the match out in from 3-4 down in the tie-break, and after finishing it with another of many accurate backhand drives, burst into mighty smiles towards a large Romanian contingent before sanctifying herself. "I really love this. I'm lost for words," she said, though in fact Halep quickly found them when asked how she had dealt with the steep and difficult Pliskova serve. "It's such a good serve that I spent time practising my return; I think I have a good return. I didn't serve very well, but I did other things okay." The match might have taken a very different course had Pliskova converted a break point at advantage receiver in the fourth game, when Halep saved it with a decent first serve, or succeeded with another break point at 30-40 in the sixth game. On that occasion Pliskova was not quite quick enough to contain an immaculate backhand driven magnetically parallel to the side-line. Halep broke serve in the next game for 4-3, advanced to 5-3, closing out the set two games later, with Pliskova suffering a dip in morale. Pliskova did however show signs of recovery in the second set. She broke for 2-0 and later hung on well when Halep served for the match at 5-4 and 6-5. But an uncharacteristic forehand drive into the net put Pliskova four points to five down in the tie-break, an opportunity Halep took well by winning the next pair of points on her serve. Pliskova's consolation is a big leap from 18 in the world to 12, though she may have paid a penalty for having played more than any other player on the tour.
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Post by Admin on Mar 19, 2015 20:50:59 GMT
Simona Halep expected a tough quarterfinal match against Carla Suarez Navarro at the BNP Paribas Wednesday. She certainly didn't expect to lose the first four games of the match. "The first set was a little bit strange because I started very nervous and she made 4-0 very fast," Halep said. "Then I came back, but I couldn't finish in the right way for me." Halep's rally in the first set fell short, but the Romania star and the No. 3 seed overwhelmed Suarez Navarro in the final two sets for a 5-7, 6-1, 6-1 victory. The win puts Halep back into the semifinals at Indian Wells for the second consecutive year. "It's really nice to be again in semifinals two years in a row. Last year I had a good tournament, and this year I can say it was better than last year," Halep said. "I feel much more now (with) the ball and the game. I'm more confident, and I think I have my chance in the semifinals. So I will go to fight and to believe that I can win the match." Halep will need her confidence in the semifinals when she takes on top-seeded Serena Williams. It was Halep who handed Williams her last loss at the WTA Finals in Singapore last October. That match was indoors and six months ago, so Halep doesn't want to compare that win to the Indian Wells matchup. But Halep feels good about her chances. "Still I'm confident and I know that I have my chance to win, but I know as well that she's a strong player and she knows how to manage every situation during the matches," Halep said.
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Post by Admin on Mar 24, 2015 20:46:56 GMT
Simona Halep beat Jelena Jankovic to win the BNP Paribas Open this past weekend, and her prize is a trophy so heavy that you might need a crane to move it around. In a press conference following her win, a reporter asked Halep if she could lift it. Halep was confident that she could. After winning the BNP Paribas Open tournament in southern California this weekend, Romanian tennis star Simona Halep received a giant, gleaming trophy. In a press conference following her victory, a reporter asked if she could lift it. Halep was basically like, Um, duh, do you see how strong I am? But Halep was shocked when, even after standing up, she couldn’t get the thing off the table. She laughs, looks off camera, and asks, “How many kilos?!” The reporter apologizes for asking the question, but Halep remains in good spirits since, you know, she just won the entire tournament.
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Post by Admin on Apr 23, 2015 20:21:27 GMT
Simona Halep overcame nemesis Garbiñe Muguruza in three tough sets on Wednesday night to become the first player into the quarterfinals of the Porsche Tennis Grand Prix. Muguruza had beaten Halep in their two previous meetings, at Wuhan last fall and in Fed Cup play earlier this year, and it looked like the pattern was going to continue as the WTA Rising Star took the first set of this one in just 34 minutes, 6-3, coming through on the big points much better than Halep - the Spaniard converted on both of her break points in that first set, Halep going zero for two. Halep was just too solid across the second and third sets, compiling a +3 differential of winners to unforced errors (12 to 9) while Muguruza's game went awry - she had a -13 differential (18 to 31). The Romanian also became the first player to reach 25 WTA-level match wins on the season. Watch highlights, interviews and more video from Stuttgart right here on wtatennis.com!The last four first round matches of the week took place earlier in the day and the only seeded player in action was bounced. Agnieszka Radwanska, the No.7 seed, looked strong early on - she jumped out to a 5-3 first set lead and even held two set points in the ensuing tie-break - but Sara Errani was too determined, sneaking out that set and eventually beating the World No.9 in straights, 7-6(8), 6-4.
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Post by Admin on Apr 25, 2015 20:38:41 GMT
Simona Halep managed to get in a small dig at Eugenie Bouchard while taking the high road on her infamous handshake snub. SI.com reported that Halep was asked about the Canadian's refusal to shake hands with Alexandra Dulgheru before Canada's Fed Cup tie vs. Romania last week. Bouchard said her actions were not to mean any kind of offense to Dulgheru, but Dulgheru got the last laugh - or rather the last three laughs against Bouchard. Dulgheru beat Bouchard 6-4, 6-4, and Romania ended up beating Canada to advance in Fed Cup play. But Dulgheru's post-match celebration against Bouchard was the best of the laughs. Halep took a bit more reserved approach in her response to Bouchard's snub. "I don't want to comment on the gesture, it depends on the person's education," Halep said, according to SI.com. "I would never do that but it's maybe just how she was raised and we have to accept this attitude. Alex played really well and I'm very happy she beat Bouchard. (The Celebration) was very well thought of and actually funny." World number five Caroline Wozniacki overcame Simona Halep to reach the Stuttgart Grand Prix final. In a nearly three-hour contest, Wozniacki came through 7-5 5-7 6-2 against the Romanian second seed. The Dane, 24, is looking for her second title of the season, after her win at the Malaysian Open in March. She will meet Angelique Kerber in Sunday's final after the German eased to a 6-3 6-1 win over American Madison Brengle.
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