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Post by Admin on Apr 28, 2015 20:23:42 GMT
No one is more relieved for the Porsche Grand Prix in Stuttgart, Germany to be behind her than Simona Halep. On Monday, she replaced Maria Sharapova as the No. 2 player in the world despite losing in the semifinals to Caroline Wozniacki. Halep, however, likely couldn't get out of Stuttgart fast enough after receiving death threats via Twitter from a Danish fan before her quarterfinals match against Sara Errani, AFP reported. The fan was believed to have sent several messages via social media. "I can't comment on it. I am here to play tennis. Other people will take care of it," said Halep after her 6-4, 6-4 win over Errani in a tight quarter-final on the indoor clay court. AFP reported that Halep showed no sign of distraction; however, there were 16 breaks of serve in the 20-game match that suggest otherwise. Tournament organizers beefed up security for Halep for the remainder of her time in the tournament. She did engage in a two-hour, 58-minute semifinal against the Dane Wozniacki before falling 7-5, 5-7, 6-2. Halep has risen to No. 2 despite a pair of distractions during events this season. Just prior to the start of the BNP Paribas Open in March, Halep's cousin, 29-year-old Nicia Arghir, hanged himself in his home office in the Romanian province of Costanta. She put that tragedy behind her in winning the Indian Wells tournament, showing her mental toughness. But she may be forgiven for being a bit wary after this latest distraction. The question for Halep is whether she can turn the unfortunate events into an advantage if she feels she can play more freely without worrying about further distraction.
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Post by Admin on May 8, 2016 1:45:19 GMT
Simona Halep beat Dominika Cibulkova 6-2 6-4 to win the Madrid Open. The Romanian world number seven, 24, took both her break point opportunities in the first set while Slovakia's Cibulkova missed all three of hers. One break was enough in the second set as Halep sealed victory with her third ace after one hour and 20 minutes. Cibulkova had won three of their four previous encounters but was unable to make an impression on the 24 year old, who has now won 12 WTA Tour titles.
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Post by Admin on Aug 2, 2016 1:33:54 GMT
Simona Halep beat Madison Keys in straight sets in the Rogers Cup final in Montreal. The Romanian, 24, won 7-6 (7-2), 6-3 to claim her third title of the year. However, the world number five was unable to add a second title as she and compatriot Monica Niculescu were beaten by Russian duo Ekaterina Makarova and Elena Vesnina in the doubles final. Halep had been a set and a break up before Kerber reeled off six straight games to lead 2-0 in the third before the Romanian regained control, sealing the win after a topsy-turvy encounter that lasted one hour 38 minutes in Montreal. "I knew that it was going to be a tough one, always when I play against her it was a tough match," Halep told ESPN in a courtside interview after improving her career record against Kerber to 4-2. "Mentally I am pretty strong and I am a little bit disappointed in the second set I gave up at 3-2. But this is me. "I have to improve more in this way and I am just trying to enjoy more and more and to give everything I have to win."
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Post by Admin on Jul 12, 2017 20:09:33 GMT
After Wimbledon two-seed Simona Halep and six-seed Johanna Konta split the first two sets of their quarterfinal match in tiebreaks, the deciding set was a tense affair, with fans groaning and gasping after every point. At 5-4, 40-15, Konta was serving for the match. Halep pinned the Brit to the baseline with a deep backhand and Konta shoveled back a return that landed well short. Johanna Konta v Simona Halep highlights - Wimbledon 2017 quarter-final Halep approached, poised to flick a forehand crosscourt to save the first of two match points. Then, right as Halep drew her racket back, a fan in the British pro-Konta crowd let out an alarming screech. Halep visibly hesitated, then dumped the ball into the net. Both players looked uncertain—Konta didn’t even celebrate at first—but the chair umpire just shook his head. Game, set, match.
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Post by Admin on Jun 10, 2018 18:47:57 GMT
For Simona Halep, it’s different. Prior to this year’s French Open, she had led in the final of a major tournament three times—and lost each one. A year ago, when she accepted the runner-up trophy at Roland Garros, she didn’t try to hide her devastation. “I’ve been sick in the stomach with emotion,” she said. “Maybe I was not ready to win it.” Few great players have spoken as openly and honestly about struggling with self-doubt. Despite these losses, when Halep faced Stephens in the French Open final, on Saturday, Halep was the No. 1 player in the world—on paper, the clear favorite. In the semifinals, she had defeated the former French Open and Wimbledon champion Garbiñe Muguruza, controlling points from the start with her superior movement and her deceptive power. But when the match against Stephens began Halep was skittish. Pushed back by Stephens’s deep topspin shots, she hit from her heels. She couldn’t get anything past Stephens, whose fluid footwork carried her to every ball. Stephens took the first set, and went up a break to start the second. But then Halep adjusted—hitting moon balls to interrupt Stephens’s rhythm; darting forward on short balls (she won eight of ten points at the net); and realizing, finally, that she could survive the long points. Stephens is one of the few players who can rival Halep’s athleticism, but she couldn’t quite match Halep’s stamina. The speed of Stephens’s forehand began to drop, and her serve lost its effectiveness. Her footwork slowed. Halep started extending points, sometimes with unworldly retrievals—a remarkable fifty-five points in the match lasted for nine shots or more. The 6-1 scoreline of the third set looks one-sided, but it was competitive throughout. After Halep won a long rally by twice scrambling to her backhand, sliding perfectly into a drop shot, and taking a lob out of the air with an over-the-shoulder backhand—one of the hardest shots in tennis—to go up a double break, even Stephens smiled.
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