Athlete of the Week on RRI: Tennis player Simona Halep

Simona Halep played her second final in two weeks

Florin Orban, 24.08.2018, 11:54

Romanian tennis
player Simona Halep on Monday announced she would not be competing in the WTA
tournament in New Haven, the United States. Her withdrawal comes as she sustained
a minor ankle injury in her right foot. Halep was seeded first at New Haven and
was supposed to compete straight into the round of 16. New Haven is the last
tournament before the last grand slam tournament of the year, the US Open, due
to kick off next week in New York.

Simona Halep
holds on to the top position in WTA standings, now enjoying a wider lead over
the runner up, Caroline Wozniacki of Denmark, over 2,000 points. After winning
the Rogers Cup in Montreal on August 12, Simona Halep last week reached the
final of the tournament in Cincinnati, the United States. She lost the match to
Kiki Bertens at the end of a very difficult game. For her good run last week,
we have designated Simona Halep Athlete of the Week on Radio Romania
International.

The final in
Cincinnati was the 33rd of Simona Halep’s career. So far the
Romanian tennis player has won 18 WTA tournaments, six of which in 2013 alone,
Nurnberg, ‘s-Hertogenbosch, Budapest, New Haven, Moscow and Sofia. Then she won
the Doha and BRD Open trophies in 2014. In 2015 she prevailed in Shenzhen,
Dubai and Indian Wells. In 2016 she won the title in Madrid, Bucharest and
Montreal. In 2017 she defended her trophy in Madrid and this year she won the
Shenzhen, Roland Garros and Montreal tournaments.

Halep played
another 15 finals, in 2010 and 2011 in Fez, Morocco, in 2012 in Brussels, then
in 2014 in Madrid, Roland Garros and Singapore. In 2015 Simona lost the Toronto
and Cincinnati finals, while in 2017 she lost the finals in Rome, Roland
Garros, Cincinnati and Beijing. This year Halep reached the finals of the
Australian Open, and the tournaments in Rome and Cincinnati. Let us note that
this year Simona Halep also won the women’s doubles in Shenzhen alongside Irina
Begu. In 2016 she lost the doubles final played in Montreal alongside Monica
Niculescu. (Translated by V. Palcu)