World No 1, Halep: 'Sharapova was the only player I was never able to defeat'/세계 1위, 할렙:한 번도 이길 수 없었던 선수, 샤라포바 테니스 | Tennis2017. 10. 8. 17:49
From Seoul, South Korea, October 2017
안녕 folks!
Simona Halep's way to her first WTA number 1 ranking was halted several times in the months before China Open (30 Sept- 8 Oct, 2017). The Roland Garros final loss to Jelena Ostapenko and the elimination from US Open by Maria Sharapova in the first round, were not easy to deal with psychologically.
In an interview for a Romanian TV channel she stated the Roland Garros final haunted her dreams for days after the game. Aggressive player Ostapenko is not an easy opponent these days in the WTA tournaments.
On the other side, Halep lost all her previous games to Sharapova, seven in number, a situation that led some to say she had developed a Sharapova complex. However, Halep denied such a thing, still admitting that it was one of her biggest wishes to beat the Russian.
<Previous meetings, before Beijing 2017>
China Open will remain a tournament to remember for Simona Halep.
<Petra Kvitova, Caroline Garcia, Jelena Ostapenko, Simona Halep>
She obtained her first victory in two sets against the 'unbeatable Russian': 6-2, 6-2.
She took revenge for the Roland Garros final, becoming WTA No 1, after the semifinal against Ostapenko: 6-2, 6-4.
Yet Simona is getting a lot of criticism from fans all over the world who say that a No 1 without a Grand Slam is not a real No 1. Regarding this, only time will tell the truth.
Sources:
TVR1 interview with Simona Halep, in Romanian:
Pictures:
https://www.facebook.com/WTA/?ref=br_rs
Watch:
2017 China Open 3rd Round against Maria Sharapova, highlights:
2017 China Open semi-final against Jelena Ostapenko, highlights:
