Cristian Tudor Popescu praised the will of Simona Halep in her first match at the WTA tournament in Hong Kong, underlining her determination to fight even if she was under physical pressure.
Simona Halep achieved her first victory in the tournament in Hong Kong – Photo EPA
After a break of over two years, Simona Halep managed to get her first victory in the tournament in Hong Kong, defeating the Australian Arina Rodionova, with the score of 6-2, 4-6, 6-4.
Cristian Tudor Popescu emphasizes Simona Halep’s determination and will in her first WTA tournament match in Hong Kong.
In a post titled “Simona returns with gritted teeth“, the journalist praises the will of the tennis player.
“Tenacity. This is what we saw in Simona in her first WTA tournament match, in Hong Kong, after so much time on the touchline. The opponent, the Australian Rodionova, proved very uncomfortable, resilient in rallies, able to switch suddenly from defense to attack and possessing a remarkable cut lapel. Simona clearly won the first set, 6-2, but then we knew that the physical “dead point” would come, when she would need the second breath to overcome it“, the journalist wrote on Facebook.
Cristian Tudor Popescu spoke about the athlete’s effort to cope with the intense shifts and the humid heat in the city.
“And he succeeded! She leaned forward choked at the end of long, hard exchanges – it’s a nasty humid heat in Hong Kong – but she pulled through and stormed to the deciding set, 6-4, after more than two hours.”, CTP continued.
“Let’s see how many more matches she can last…”
After an absence of four and a half months from the court, Simona Halep returned to the competition, defeating the Australian Arina Rodionova (34 years old, 114 WTA) in an intense match. Fortunately for her fans, Simona Halep won after a 2 hour and 8 minute match, ending the match with a score of 6-2, 4-6, 6-4. This is her first success since August 17, 2022, when she defeated Potapova in the first match in Cincinnati.
“In addition to enough mistakes, we also saw hits that reminded of the great champion Simona Halep. Will is. Now let’s see how many more matches she will be able to last..“, concludes Cristian Tudor Popescu.
The next match will take place on Thursday and Simona Halep will face Russia’s Anna Blinkova, a 26-year-old player who has recorded 12 wins from 38 matches this season.
