Simona Halep, weary and aching, reaches Montreal final
Halep will play against the third-ranked Sloane Stephens in the summit clash.
Published : Aug 12, 2018 11:56 IST
A weary Simona Halep, upset over how her matches are scheduled, beat Ashleigh Barty 6-4, 6-1 on Saturday to reach the Rogers Cup final.
The top-ranked Romanian will play for the title Sunday against the third-ranked Sloane Stephens in a rematch of Halep’s victory in the French Open final.
Stephens, preparing for her U.S. Open title defense, beat fifth-seeded Elina Svitolina 6-3, 6-3.
Despite playing on only 15 hours rest, Halep was in control from the outset against the 15th-seeded Barty, eliminating the Australian in 71 minutes.
“I was very sore when I woke up,” Halep said. “During the match, it’s not easy to run so much. But, you know, I just tried to focus on what I have to play and, to make it a little bit easier, which I did in the end, was to finish it early.”
“I think I talked enough about it,” she said. “I hope in the future it’s going to be better. I was upset. I am upset. But doesn’t change my performance on court.”
The Romanian broke Barty in the opening game and broke again for a 4-1 lead en route to taking the first set. Halep broke twice more to open the second set.
“I think I played smart tennis today,” Halep said. “I pushed her very back on her backhand, then I could just receive a shorter ball, an easier ball for me to open the court.”
“We played a good match,” Stephens said about the French Open final. “I played very well for a set and a half. Hopefully, I’ll play very well for two sets. Just try to play as well as I can. I’m playing good tennis. She’s playing good tennis. Obviously, to make a final of another tournament is incredible.”