USA Today via Reuters
Sep 1, 2021; Flushing, NY, USA; Simona Halep of Romania reacts after beating Kristina Kucova of Slovakia (not pictured) on day three of the 2021 U.S. Open tennis tournament at USTA Billie King National Tennis Center. Mandatory Credit: Robert Deutsch-USA TODAY Sports
USA Today via Reuters
Sep 1, 2021; Flushing, NY, USA; Simona Halep of Romania reacts after beating Kristina Kucova of Slovakia (not pictured) on day three of the 2021 U.S. Open tennis tournament at USTA Billie King National Tennis Center. Mandatory Credit: Robert Deutsch-USA TODAY Sports
It seems like the two-time Grand Slam champion Simona Halep is finally getting back to fine form. Following her noteworthy performance at Kremlin Cup, Halep entered Transylvania Open in her home country, Romania. In the opening round, she thrashed her compatriot, Elena-Gabriela Ruse, in straight sets, giving away just three games.
In the post-match interview, she opened up about her dream of winning in Romania for the third time. According to her, the conditions have changed and she just wants to take it step by step.
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Simona Halep dreams of winning at home
Simona Halep had an extremely dominant performance in the first round against Elena-Gabriela Ruse and looked to be at her best. Interestingly, the two partnered at Indian Wells in the women’s doubles but were eliminated in the Round of 16.
via Reuters
Tennis – WTA 500 – Stuttgart Open – Porsche-Arena, Stuttgart, Germany – April 24, 2021 Romania’s Simona Halep in action during her semi final match against Belarus’ Aryna Sabalenka Pool via REUTERS/Marijan Murat
ALSO READ: Simona Halep and Emma Raducanu Likely To Lock Horns at Their Home-Country Event in Romania
In the post-match interview, she said, “It’s my dream to win, but it’s more complicated. When I played in Bucharest I was in top form. Now there are other conditions, with injuries. But it’s beautiful to dream, I’ll think about it and I’ll take game by game.” (All quotes have been translated using Google Translate)
Simona Halep despre ce-ar însemna să cștige la Cluj: E visul meu să cștig, dar e mai complicat. Cnd am jucat la București eram în vrf de formă. Acum sunt alte condiții, cu accidentările avute. Dar e frumos să visezi, o să mă gndesc cu drag la asta și o să iau meci cu meci. pic.twitter.com/DLMPmjuNax
— Transylvania Open (@TransylvaniaOpn) October 27, 2021
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On her way to victory, the former World No. 1 smashed six aces. Moreover, she gave away just three games to her fellow countrywoman as she registered a straight-sets victory at Transylvania Open in Cluj-Napoca.
The Romanian has had a string of steady-yet-unspectacular performances on the Tour since the US Open this season. She was eliminated in the Round of 16 there by Elina Svitolina, following which she went to Indian Wells. In the desert, Simona suffered a Round of 32 loss to Sasnovich.
In Romania, Halep has successfully entered the round of 16 where she’ll be up against Varvara Gracheva of Russian. Clearly, she is one of the favorites for the title alongside Annet Kontaveit and Emma Raducanu.
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