Top Seed Halep Pushes Through Down Under
World number one and top-seed Simona Halep advanced to the second round of the Australian Open on Tuesday, moving past teenager Destanee Aiava 7-6(5), 6-1.
“The matches I played this year, I feel pretty confident. I feel that I never give up now. I improved in this way,” said Halep. “I feel pretty solid on myself. Also, the team is helping me. We work together on these things. Today, I just showed that I can do it, so I want just to keep this feeling.”
It was a big win for Halep who had lost in the opening round in Melbourne each of her last two times, but she saved a pair of set points towards the end of the first set which turned the match in her favor. She would take the tiebreaker and roll in the second set.
Halep moves into a second-round showdown with Canada’s Eugenie Bouchard, who kicked off her campaign with a 6-3, 7-6(5) win over France’s Oceane Dodin.
Former champion Maria Sharapova rolled past Tatjana Maria of Germany 6-1, 6-4, converting five of seven break point chances to move through to the second round.
“I felt it was a good warm up to what could possibly be a good match against my next opponent who I have had trouble with in the past,” said Sharapova. “I wouldn’t say they play the same game but a lot of similarities. I felt it was a good warm up toward that.”
Sharapova is referring to Anastasija Sevastvoa, the 16th seeded Latvian who defeated her in the U.S. Open Round of 16 last year. Sevastova came back from a set down to defeat Varvara Lepchenko 3-6, 6-3, 6-2 in her Melbourne opener on Tuesday.
Madison Keys, Garbine Muguruza, Agnieszka Radwanska, Karolina Pliskova, Johanna Konta and Angelique Kerber were among the other notable winners in Melbourne on Tuesday.
