Strong and steady
Halep and Sharapova cruise past opponents in Shenzhen
SHENZHEN: World No. 1 Simona Halep began the year in emphatic style with a 6-4, 6-1 victory over Nicole Gibbs as Maria Sharapova also romped through her firstround match at the Shenzhen Open.
Romania’s Halep, who will be seeking her maiden Grand Slam title at the Australian Open in two weeks’ time, struck 12 winners to blitz the 110th-ranked American in one hour and nine minutes yesterday.
“We had a big crowd, which was nice to play in front of,” Halep said after her firstround match in the southern Chinese city, where she won in 2015.
Halep won the first set with the help of an aggressive forehand, and then opened the second set with a crunching backhand winner down the line before running away with the match.
“It’s always nice to play here in Shenzhen,” she added.
“I won a title here three years ago already. It’s my first victory this year as No. 1 in the world, so I’m just happy and enjoying the time.”
Meanwhile five-time Grand Slam champion Sharapova, making her Shenzhen debut, also despatched Romania’s world No. 56 Mihaela Buzarnescu 6-3, 6-0 in an hour and 20 minutes.
“It’s quite remarkable to see a full stadium for a first round,” she said. “It’s my first time here, so I didn’t know what to expect.”
Halep will next face China’s Duan Yingying while Sharapova will play American Alison Riske in the second round.
■ AUCKLAND: Donna Vekic became the first seeded player ousted at the Auckland Classic when she lost 7-6 (7-5), 3-6, 6-3 to Belgium’s Kristen Flipkens in a rain-interrupted first-round match yesterday.
After losing a first set which was punctuated by rain delays and a five-minute break when Flipkens sought treatment for an injured shoulder, the eighth-seeded Vekic seemed to hold the upper hand, sweeping the second set in 34 minutes.
But the 21-year-old Croatian player lost momentum with a series of unforced errors which led to an early service break in the third set.
She rallied to level at 4-4, then lost serve and squandered two break points before Flipkens served out the match.
Flipkens improved her record to 5-0 against Vekic and said she would seek physio treatment before the second round.
Second seed Julia Goerges overcame a rusty start to beat her nemesis Monica Puig in a marathon three-setter.
It was the first time in five attempts that the 29-year-old German has beaten the Puerto Rican Olympic champion and it took her 13 aces to win 6-4, 4-6, 6-2.
Earlier, Petra Martic beat Marketa Vondrousova 7-6 (7-2), 6-3.