INCREDIBLE! Simona Halep Bags Her First Ever Victory in Three Months at Cincinnati Open 2021

Simona Halep won her first game in three months after beating Magda Linette of Poland at the Cincinnati Open. Halep won 6-4, 3-6, 6-1 in the opening round and proved her worth in a rain-hit game. The Romanian took a little over two hours to clinch her win over the Polish national.

Even though Halep took a medical timeout due to her calf injury, that did not end her hopes. She came back stronger after the rain disrupted play and decimated her opponent in the final set.

Simona Halep vs Magda Linette: Set 1

Simona Halep tried to make a statement of intent from the very beginning itself. After breaking Linette’s service at the beginning, Halep took a quick 3-1 lead. She looked great in her service and returns. However, Linette initiated her comeback by breaking Halep’s serve in the sixth game.

Halep looked more dominant as she won more points and hit four aces in the first set itself. Moreover, her first-serve conversion rate was higher than that of Linette’s. She won 15 out of the 20 points available to her on her first serve. She also saved three of her four break points against Linette. Eventually, she did manage to break Magda Linette’s serve in the seventh game itself.

A quick exchange between the two players saw the game sail smoothly after Halep’s break. She won 6-4 in 42 minutes and hardly broke any sweat.

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Halep vs Linette: Set 2

Linette started the second set with sheer domination. She broke Halep’s serve in the second game itself and took a 3-0 lead. Her quick movement and domination on the service provided her with quality points. She took a 4-1 lead before Halep received a medical timeout.

Halep has been suffering an injury on her left calf since May. She took a medical timeout to get treatment for her calf; however, she was back on her feet and started the game well. Rain interrupted play for around an hour and the players got to rest for some time. Halep received the break which she desperately required after her medical timeout.

Magda did not wait for any opportunity and won both her serves. She won the game 6-3 in 44 minutes to take the game till the deciding set.

Halep vs Linette: Set 3

Simona yet again started the set with a strong lead as she went up 5-0. Halep broke Linette’s serve in the second game itself and hit three strong aces to establish a lead. After a 3-0 lead, she did not look in the mood to stop. She broke Linette’s serve again in the fourth game and later led 5-0.

A strong display from Halep finally resulted in a win over Linette. However, Halep could not complete the bagel over Linette and the Polish star got a consolation win in the sixth game. Halep’s five aces were strong for Linette to handle in the final set and she completed the demolition by winning 6-1.

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