Romanian tennis player Simona Halep will be 25th WTA World No.1 as of Monday, after she qualified to the China Open women’s singles final in Beijing, with total prize money worth USD 6,381,679 on Saturday, defeating Latvian Jelena Ostapenko, 6-2, 6-4.
With a run to the final of the China Open in Beijing, Romania’s Simona Halep will become the new WTA World No.1 when the updated rankings are released on Monday, October 9.
She will contest her fifth final of the season on Sunday against Caroline Garcia who has defeated No.12 Petra Kvitova 6-3, 7-5 .
Halep: I am really happy, it’s a great think
“Of course, it’s a great thing. Many others did it, and I’m one of them. I’m really happy about that, but I’m in the middle of my career, so I have many years ahead. I just want to stay the same, focused, and do my job,” Simona Halep said about reaching World No.1.
WTA CEO Steve Simon and President Micky Lawler were on hand for an on-court ceremony after the match to honor Halep as the new World No.1.
“It’s very emotional, I think it’s the first time I cried on court,” Halep said on-court after the match. “It’s amazing that I could do this. My team, everyone at home…is watching, and I want to thank everyone. It’s my special day.
“When I was five points away, I felt that I want it more and more. I try just to not think too much about that, to stop thinking, because you feel the pressure when you’re thinking too much.
“I will never forget this day or this tournament. I always get great support in China, and I’m waiting for tomorrow – the tournament is not finished.”
The result flipped the script of June’s French Open final, in which Halep led Ostapenko by a set and a break, with points for a double break in the second set, only to see the Latvian come all the way back and stun the tennis world for her first Grand Slam title.
The 26-year-old becomes the first player representing Romania to achieve this historic milestone since the computer rankings were introduced in 1975, and will be the 25th woman overall to hold the No.1 ranking, etatennis.com informs.
Her rise to WTA World No.1 brings an end to the reign of Garbine Muguruza, who spent four weeks in the position, and she is the fifth woman in 2017 to hold top spot, also following Angelique Kerber, Serena Williams and Karolina Pliskova.
This triumph is the latest peak in a surging career for Romania’s best player, and comes off the back of reaching her fifth WTA final of the season in Beijing.
In the last 52 weeks, Halep has won the Madrid Open for the third Premier Mandatory title of her career, and reached the final of the French Open, the Italian Open and the Cincinnati Open, and the quarterfinals of Wimbledon.
The longest streak of consecutive weeks ranked inside the world’s Top 10
This season, she’s scored five Top 10 victories and has made the last eight in 11 of her past 13 tournaments.
At the conclusion of the 2017 Wimbledon Championships, Halep became the active player with the longest streak of consecutive weeks ranked inside the world’s Top 10.
Halep entered the Top 10 for the first time on January 27, 2014, and has been there ever since.
Halep will be presented with the WTA World No.1 Trophy, the focal point of which is a silver “star-map” tennis ball that represents the tennis universe. All World No.1s, past and present, are depicted by a diamond in the sky, which represents each champion’s mark on the sport.
Halep is one of seven women to have qualified in singles for the 2017 BNP Paribas WTA Finals Singapore presented by SC Global later this month – an event at which she made her debut in 2014, when she reached the final.
Ilie Nastase: I wish her a long stay as No.1
Former tennis legend Ilie Nastase said on Saturday: “It is extraordinary she is number 1. She deserves congratulations. It is hard to stay as number one. The hard part just beginning, all the other players would want to defeat her, so they can boast they have defeated the best player. All the other players will put pressure on her, not only during Grand Slams, but in all tournaments.”
Nastase said he is confident Simona Halep will very soon win a Grand Slam tournament. She has to be patient, she is only 25, he added.