No. 1 seed Halep survives rematch of New York shocker
MELBOURNE, Australia — For Simona Halep, it was better to think that the U.S. Open was not held last year.
“Never happened,” Halep said, grinning. “That tournament didn’t exist.”
The top-seeded Halep was ousted from that tournament within its opening hours, blasted off the court by Kaia Kanepi in a 6-2, 6-4 demolition that sent shock waves through the newly built Louis Armstrong Stadium.
Five months and 10,000 miles removed from that New York scene on Tuesday evening at the Australian Open, Halep was able to build back her sturdy defenses, digging into a gritty first-round rematch and defeating Kanepi, 6-7 (2), 6-2, 6-4, in 2 hours, 11 minutes.
Halep, who has had a tendency to give into negativity when being outplayed, did not relent this time. She expressed frustration, exasperation and disbelief after Kanepi struck many of her 40 winners but remained dialed in throughout.
Halep said all she could control was her effort.
“I think it’s the best match I played in the last period, not giving up for one ball,” she said. “I think I improved in that directi
Though a first-round win against a player ranked 71st would not normally be a milestone for a top seed, it was a steep test for Halep. Not only had she been clobbered by Kanepi in their previous meeting, Halep had not won a match since, losing three times and pulling out of the year-end event with a back injury.
Halep, who has maintained her No. 1 ranking despite not winning a match since August in Cincinnati, projected no precariousness. “If I’m thinking of all these things,” she said, “I cannot play tennis anymore.”
A No. 1 ranked player whose ranking merits a Wheaties box but whose dominance belongs on the side of a milk carton is hardly a rare phenomenon in women’s tennis. Dinara Safina, Ana Ivanovic and Angelique Kerber are among those who went through crises of confidence when they reached the top of the ladder. Halep preached contentment, particularly after winning a long-awaited first Grand Slam title at last year’s French Open.
“I’m not putting pressure on myself anymore with the results, but I’m still motivated,” she said. “What comes now, it’s a bonus.”
The top-ranked men’s player also was in action on Tuesda.
Novak Djokovic waltzed into the second round with a 6-3, 6-2, 6-2 victory over American Mitchell Krueger in just over two hours.
Djokovic now faces Frenchman Jo-Wilfried Tsonga, whom he defeated in the 2008 final for his first Grand Slam title.
In the second round Wednesday, fifth-seeded Kevin Anderson let a sizable lead slip away amid problems with his serving arm and lost to 20-year-old Frances Tiafoe 4-6, 6-4, 6-4, 7-5.
Anderson was the runner-up at Wimbledon last year and the U.S. Open in 2017 and had won all three previous matchups against the 39th-ranked American.