Top Seed Simona Halep Once Again Suffers the Disappointing Loss From French Open in Melbourne

Two-time Grand Slam winner Simona Halep was up against Russia’s Ekaterina Alexandrova in the quarterfinal of the WTA 500 Melbourne 2021 tournament. Both players have won one match each against each other. In their third meeting, the Russian didn’t hold back and glided through a comfortable victory over the Romanian player, 6-2 6-1. 

As the match began, the Romanian served brilliantly, registering 86.4% of her first serves against her opponents 58.8%. But Halep won a mere 42.1% of her first-serve points, which proved to be costly. Alexandrova took advantage of the situation and handed her opponent three breaks in the opening set and won 6-2. 

The Russian handed Simona Halep an early break in the second set

In the second set, the Russian carried the momentum and handed her opponent the early break. She raced away and took a 3-0 lead. Finally, after losing nine straight games, Halep won her first game in the second set, to make it 3-1. But it did not prove enough, as the Russian kept sailing and eventually took the second set, 6-1. 

This was one of the lowest results in the Romanian’s career. She lost the match in 59 minutes. During the entire match, Halep registered a better service percentage over her opponent but failed to capitalize on winning those points. Alexandrova sensed the opportunity and sealed the match in her favor. 

Also Read: “I’m a Little Bit Sore”: Simona Halep Assesses Her Game Ahead of WTA Melbourne 2021 Quarter-Finals

With that win, the Russian moves into the semifinal and will face Estonia’s Kaia Kanepi. On the other hand, Simona will look to brush aside this loss and focus on the Australian Open. She was the runner-up in 2018, where she lost to Denmark’s Caroline Wozniacki.