Simona Halep Inches Closer to Maria Sharapova in a Top Record After a Spirited Indian Wells Performance

Simona Halep is one of the biggest names of the sport. In a career spanning 1.5 decades, the Romanian has been a part of some of the most elite lists of women’s tennis. One such list is the ‘Highest Career Prize Money.’ Lead by the legend Serena Williams, the list encompasses Halep on the 4th spot.

In between Serena and Halep, Venus Williams takes the second spot, followed by Maria Sharapova in the third spot. Even though the list looks like a long-standing list, what needs to be brought to light is the possible change in the list in the coming future. Simona Halep, who is currently on the 4th spot, can soon cross Sharapova to take the third spot.

Even though Halep could have overtaken Sharapova at the 2022 Indian Wells, the 30-year-old will now have to wait for a bit longer.

Halep on the verge of crossing Sharapova

Before entering the WTA 1000 BNP Paribas Open (Indian Wells), Halep had a total career prize money of $38,288,535. Entering the tournament as the 24th seed, Halep received a first-round bye. Rising from her Dubai loss, Halep started her tournament campaign, beating Ekaterina Alexandrova in the second round. Continuing her solid firm, she went on to beat Coco Gauff in the third round, Sorana Cirstea in the fourth, and Petra Maric in the quarterfinals. Cruising through the rounds, she set up a semifinal clash with third-seeded Iga Swiatek.

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The win on Swiatek could not only give Halep a clear path to the finals but also would have added confirmed prize money of $646,110. What’s more? Winning the runner-up prize money could have made Halep overtake Sharapova in her career prize money, which is $38,777,962.

However, that wasn’t the case. Even though Halep gave a neck-to-neck fight to Swiatek, it was Swiatek who came out victorious in straight sets. Suffering a semifinal loss, Halep managed to add $343,985 to her prize money. The career prize money of Halep now stands at $38,632,520.

Halep, who currently stands $145,442 short of Sharapova‘s prize money, will now try her luck at the WTA 1000 Miami Open. However, as they say, it is easier said than done. To overtake Sharapova, Halep will have to at least reach the quarterfinals of the Miami Open. The prize money for reaching the quarterfinals in Miami is $179,940.

Simona Halep in Miami

Even though Halep hasn’t won a title in Miami, she has been a 2-time semifinalist. She first played in Miami in 2011, suffering a second-round loss. It was followed by a series of third-round losses in 2012 and 2013. Giving 2014 a miss, she made a strong comeback in 2015, reaching the semifinals. In 2016 and 2017, she suffered a slight downfall, suffering quarterfinal exits. Even though she suffered a third-round loss in 2018, she made a strong comeback in 2019, again reaching the semifinals. She last played in Miami at Miami Open in 2021, reaching the third round.

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