Get real time updates directly on you device, subscribe now.
Romanian tennis player Simona Halep has defeated Anastasija Sevastova (Latvia, 22nd WTA) 6-2, 6-3 on Friday to reach the Mutua Madrid Open final for the third time. Halep won the match in one hour and 13 minutes.
It’s 4-3 in direct matches for Halep following today’s encounter. The Romanian player will collect for her performance 650 WTA points and a cheque for EUR 511,740.
Sevastova came into their semi-final clash without dropping a set in Madrid, but she didn’t have the answers against Halep’s all-court consistency, falling 6-2, 6-3.
The victory also earns the Romanian a spot in Mutua Madrid Open history; she’s the first woman to reach the final three times, having made the final in 2015 in addition to taking home the title last year, wtatennis.com informs.
The pair started off quite evenly matched under the roof at the Manolo Santana Stadium. Halep came into the match with a 3-2 edge in the pair’s tour-level head-to-head record. Two of those victories came on clay, including a 6-0, 6-0 beat down in the final of Bucharest last year, and a routine straight sets win in the quarterfinals of the Porsche Grand Prix earlier this season.
Halep weathered the Latvian’s variety – including her tricky backhand slice and concealed dropshots – to earn the first break at 3-2 after patiently drawing out the errors from her opponent and reeled off five games in a row to take the opening set.
Sevastova switched up her tactics in the second, peppering her game with more dropshots and kept Halep guessing. The gambit paid off, earning the Latvian her first break of the match and a 3-0 lead as the errors started to creep into Halep’s game.
But the joy was short lived as the Romanian learned to read her game and responded in kind, foraying up to the net more and chasing down the short balls. She got right back on track and powered through six games in a row to see off the Latvian and make her way into the Madrid final.
Halep will play either against No.8 seed Svetlana Kuznetsova or No.14 seed Kristina Mladenovic.
DONATE: Support our work
In an ever changing and challenging world, the media is constantly struggling to resist. Romania Journal makes no exception. We’ve been informing you, our readers, for almost 10 years, as extensively as we can, but, as we reject any state funding and private advertising is scarce, we need your help to keep on going.So, if you enjoy our work, you can contribute to endorse the Romania Journal team. Any amount is welcome, no strings attached. Choose to join with one of the following options:
Donate with PayPal
Donate by Bank Wire
Black Zonure SRLUniCredit Bank. Swift: BACXROBU
RON: RO84 BACX 0000 0022 3589 1000
EURO: RO57 BACX 0000 0022 3589 1001
USD: RO30 BACX 0000 0022 3589 1002