From Neupotz, Rheinland-Pfalz, Germany, January 2018

Side Note: It was satifsfying for me as a Romanian to witness Simona's way 

into the semifinals, and I was also very pleased to see Korean's Jeong Hyeon's

 impressive performance at this tournament. 

Halep-Kerber 6-3 4-6 9-7

The second semifinal in the women's tournament in Australia. 

It seemed so easy for Halep to bring the score to 5-0 as Kerber did not play much 

in the beginning of the match.

After an unbalanced first set however, Kerber came back and won the seond one. 

Both players were great, but the thrid set was heart attack 

after heart attack for any of the supporters of these two players, and

perhaps for the players themselves too.

The Romanian, twice a French Open runner-up, saved two match points on her way to victory.

At the score 7:8 Angelique Kerber struggled with a good baseline game before Halep made the

 crucial point, and narrowly missed the final of this Australian Open.

Speaking courtside, Halep said:

"It was very tough.. I'm shaking now, very emotional. She's a very good opponent,

moving well, hitting from everywhere. I'm really glad I could win this match.

I tried to be very calm. Today was like a rollercoaster, up and down,

 but I didn't give up. "

"I had just confidence in myself. I decided after I twisted my ankle (in the first round)

that I would fight for every point in this tournament and then I wold rest.

I didn't give up, not even a ball.

If you don't give up, you van win the match in the end.

I did it an I'm really proud of myself actually."

Halep will face Caroline Wozniacki in the final on Saturday. Both players are seeking 

to win their first Grand Slam title, and Wozniacki is also looking forward 

to replace Halep as WTA Number One. 

<In the other semifinal, Wozniacki beat Belgian Mertens in two sets 3-6 6(2)-7(7)>

Simona Halep v Angelique Kerber match highlights (SF)

Simona Halep on court interview (SF)

Following is the current ranking of the first 5 players.

The winner of the tournament will be awarded 2000 ranking points 

and the runner-up 1300 points.

If Caroline wins on Saturday, she will be the new Number One. 

Australian Open point system:

Win: 2000

Runner-up: 1300

Semifinals: 780

Quarter-finals: 430

4th round: 240

3rd round: 130

2nd round: 70

1st round: 10

 Angelique Kerber is a former champion of the Australian Open.

In 2016 she won the trophy after a match against Serena Williams. 

bbc.com

express.co.uk

theguardian.com

spiegel.de

From Georgensgmund, Bayern, Germany, January 2018

Round 3 in the women's tournament at Australian Open. One of the smallest players in the draw, 

Lauren Davis, current ranking 76, was one of the protagonists of the longest and 

best contest of the women's tournament. Her opponent was top seed Simona Halep. 

Halep had to save three match points before surviving 4-6 6-4 15-13 against Davis. 

Simona was also injured since the very first round. The encounter with Davis lasted 

three hours and 45 minutes on Rod Laver Arena. The last set seemed neverending, 

as each of the players kept winning on their serve. 

The American had to call a medical timeout late in the third set because of a toe-curling problem. 

Davis said: "I think my second toes are infected. 

I was just jamming them a lot with how much I was moving around the court."

"That first match point just, I felt something and I couldn't really put any pressure 

- it was my right toe, and then it eventually was my left toe, also. "

"The trainer wrapped them really well and I was able to move fine after that."

“Was very tough match. So long. I never played a third set so long,’’ said Halep. 

“So I’m really happy that I could stay and win it. I’m almost dead."

“I have no idea how much I run, I just know that my muscles are gone. 

My ankle… I can’t feel it any more. But it was nice to win and to again 

be in the fourth round of this tournament is great.’’

Her Australian coach, Darren Cahill labelled it a “magnificent” effort from players,

 the fight extraordinary, and tenacity remarkable.

 “It was just an heroic effort from both ladies, but really proud of Simona,’’ he said.

Having never played such a lengthy match, the Romanian faces a huge challenged to 

recover for the matches to come. She had carried in a left ankle injury from her opening 

round against Australian Destanee Aiava, and have been on anti-inflammatories and pain-killers since.

“For sure they wore off by the end of the match,’’ said Cahill, who also coached

 Lleyton Hewitt and Andre Agassi to No.1. “But she’s a tough chick.’’

Halep has yet to win a Grand Slam tournament. She has a mixed record at the 

Australian Open, being eliminated in the first round in four of her seven appearances, 

including her past two campaigns, 2016 and 2017. 

ausopen.com

heraldsun.com.au

express.co.uk

wtatennis.com

From Seoul South Korea, January 2018

1.Sydney International, Australia

From Ganghwa Island, South Korea, January 2018

Rainy weather at Shenzen on the day of the finals. 

After continuously being delayed,the game was finally played indoors,

thus it was not streamed online nor televised. 

Simona Halep won her first trophy of the year beating Czech Siniakova in a 3 sets match, 6-1, 2-6, 6-0.

Halep and Siniakova also met last year, in 2017, in the Shenzen final, when Siniakova won. 

Siniakova met Sharapova in the semifinals, where she had a tough match that she was able to win i the end. 

Halep's rival in the semifinals was another Romanian, Irina Camelia Begu. 

Begu and Halep played together as a team for the doubles competition which they won. 

<Simona Halep with the singles trophy>

<Simona Halep with both doubles and singles trophies>

<Halep and Begu with the doubles trophy>

Photos: Simona Halep's Instagram

From Ganghwa Island, South Korea, January 2018

1.Brisbane, Australia

SEMIFINALISTS

RESULTS

WINNER

***

2. Shenzhen, China

SEMIFINALISTS

RESULTS

WINNER

***

3. Auckland, New Zealand

SEMIFINALISTS

FINALISTS

WINNER

wtatennis.com

From Seoul, South Korea, October 2017

안녕 folks!

Caroline Wozniacki with the trophy

WTA Finals Singapore. The competition reuniting the best 8 players in women’s tennis. It is the last competition of the year, and the most important after the 4 Grand Slams. This year the best world 8 competed against each other in 2 groups, and indeed, each game was worth watching! When the best 8 play among themselves each game is like a final.

 Group standings, semifinals, final & points and prize won. Interesting fact: the participation fee of $ 151 000 is deducted from the prize, so players who did not make it to the final or at least the semifinals, perhaps won't sleep well until the next season begins. :D

Danish player Caroline Wozniacki triumphed over veteran Venus Williams in the final game in Singapore, a game which ended 6-4 6-4. The second set saw Caroline almost winner as she was leading with 5 games to zero, but as champion that she is, Venus made an unforgettable comeback winning 4 games in a row. Caroline however, was strong enough not to be intimidated, ending up with the trophy, and the money of course. Moreover, she climbed 3 positions in the year-end rankings, from no 6 to no 3. 

Caroline reached the fisrt WTA position only once before, between October 2010 and February 2011. She has never won a Grand Slam tournament, which makes this Singapore trophy the most important for her so far.

You can see the higlights of the game here: youtube link Don't miss the second set! It was epic! 

Incredible Venus, at 37 years old

The most important title in Wozniacki's career. She has never won a Grand Slam. 

But she nailed this final.

THE OTHER STORY, YEAR-END NO 1 IN WOMEN'S TENNIS: SIMONA HALEP. 

THE BEST PERFORMANCE OF ROMANIAN TENNIS EVER

Halep was not able to reach the semifinals. She won her first group game against French Caroline Garcia, but lost to Wozniacki and Ukrainian Elina Svitolina. As the only player who could threaten her no 1 position, Czech Karolina Pliskova lost in the semifinals, she managed to remain the leader in the WTA standings. And she will stay there until the next season begins. 

 Simona said she stills feels very sad for the French Open final she lost last summer, but as one of her goals for 2017 was to be No 1, she ends the year in a positive note. Her game started to improve lately, and it seems that her biggest problem, the mental part, is not as disturbing as it used to be. 

Watch the awarding ceremony here: click

One of the most consistent WTA players, finally gets there. But no Grand Slam yet... 

AND YET ANOTHER STORY, CAROLINE GARCIA: THE RISING STAR

Another Caroline, Garcia, was the last to qualify for this year’s finals. WTA No 8, was, personally, my favourite player of this tournament. Very strong mentally and with a powerful attack style game, she put in trouble all the other players she met here. She even beat Wozniacki in the groups. I am looking forward to see her rising even more next year.

FINALLY, FAN BATTLE :D

Nothing gets more fun on facebook these days than following fans fight over the new world's number 1. From people lamenting there is no one single dominant player in women's tennis, to people arguing one does not need a Grand Slam to be a champion. Consistency or fame? What would you choose?

An article analyzing this particular topic here: click

FINAL STANDINGS OF 2017 IN WTA

Sources:

wtatennis.com

http://www.tennis.com/pro-game/2017/10/tough-call-will-any-wta-player-win-more-one-major-2018/70159/

http://www.hindustantimes.com

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

http://www.wtatennis.com/

Watch:

2017 China Open 3rd Round against Maria Sharapova, highlights:

https://youtu.be/3oYXBWw_RR8

2017 China Open semi-final against Jelena Ostapenko, highlights:

https://youtu.be/gUt8s9lIVRk