The injury ruled the Russian out of the subsequent US Open in September and she was also forced to withdraw from an attempted comeback at the Wuhan Open less than a month ago.
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Sharapova, for her part, overcame 12 double-faults to beat Poland’s Agnieszka Radwanska 4-6, 6-3, 6-4.
“I didn’t play the right game against her at the US Open”, Halep said. Sharapova responded with an ace and flurry of forehands to dig out of trouble and hold for 4-3. Flavia much prefers outside hard courts rather than the low bouncing courts in Singapore.
Sharapova bagged the WTA Finals championship in her debut in the tournament in 2004. In the semifinals Halep defeated Radwanska with 6-2 6-2, being beaten in the final by Williams 6-3, 6-0. Halep was playing better offensive tennis, and doing it more consistently. At the 2014 Edition, the new comer Simona Halep has had an extraordinary evolution. Who do you think will win?
She revealed: “I’m so happy that I got through and have a chance to play two more matches to end the season and hopefully more, so I couldn’t be happier at this point”.
If the day match was a bit of a rout, then the night match was an absolute war.
Round-robin play starts on Sunday when Halep opens proceedings against Pennetta at the Singapore Indoor Stadium before Sharapova takes on Agnieszka Radwanska in the night match.
Sharapova more than tripled her opponent’s victor output (24 to 7), but Radwanska countered with nearly immaculate tennis, committing just three unforced errors compared to 22 errors for the world No. 3. Sharapova, without a win over Williams for more than a decade, isn’t one to balk at a challenge (that sequence of defeats was extended to 17 when she lost to Williams in the Wimbledon semifinals).
“This is my first completed match since July, so it’s a pretty big deal for me”, Sharapova told the WTA website.
“I know that the sentiment of the players is that the title is up for grabs”, said Pine.
“I started the match really well”.
The other player is Czech Petra Kvitova, who lifted the Billie Jean King trophy in 2011. “But in the second set was much better”. Sharapova, though, didn’t stalk out of Rod Laver Arena and immediately toss her rackets into the nearby Yarra River.
But the Italian was broken in a lengthy eighth game, which Halep took on her fourth chance, and the Red Group affair was quickly over.
Season highlights: Until the Asian swing, it appeared as though Radwanska would go without a title this season, and she also didn’t think that she would qualify for Singapore. She anticipated Aga’s short balls, and was committed to moving forward in the court.
“It’s going to be a challenge to play singles and doubles”, she said. After staying on serve for the first seven games of the second set, the Romanian began to put her foot on the accelerator with a few relentless ground strokes when she sensed an opportunity was about to present itself.
The final set was a test of wills. When it comes to mental battles, Sharapova usually comes out on top.
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“It suits her game quite well”.
