In her biggest test since her final loss to Angelique Kerber at the Australian Open, Serena Williams cruised past defending champion Simona Halep 6-4, 6-3, at the BNP Paribas Open.
The world No.1 faced some tough resistance during the opening set from Halep as she was broken in the third game of the match to go behind 1-2. She recovered from the early break in impressive style by breaking back immediately as she clinched four consecutive games to move ahead 5-2. Despite the dominating lead, Williams encountered difficulty serving out the set after Halep hit a deep forehand shot to break back and put proceeding once again on serve. Unfortunately for Halep and her fans in the crowd, she failed in her attempt to level at 5-5. As the Romanian serve to stay in the set, Williams charged to three set points. She took the set on her third chance after a forehand shot from Halep landed in the tramlines.
“Come on!”@SerenaWilliams takes the opening set off Halep 6-4! #WTA https://t.co/QGYRk2E7Iu
— WTA (@WTA) 17 March 2016
The second set was much more impressive from the top seed, with Williams dropping only six points on her serve. The decisive moment of the match occurred in the sixth game of that set. As Halep served at 30-40, she produced a costly double fault to hand the 34-year-old a break for a 4-2 lead. Unlike the first set, Halep was unable to find a way to break back. The world No.1 clinched the win with an ace down the line, her seventh of the match.
The display from Williams was a step up from her two previous matches in Indian Wells as she produced 28 winners compared to 24 unforced errors. She also claimed 82% of her first service points compared to Halep’s 56%. The triumph is a big confidence boost for Williams’ quest for her first title of the year, however, the world No.1 is still looking for improvement in her game.
“Yeah, I’m happy to be able to close that one out,” Williams said.
“Obviously, I think there is always things that I would like to work on to do better, but overall I think it was a solid win for me.”
The loss for Halep means that she is still yet to beat a top-10 player this year. Prior to run to the last sixteen in Indian Wells this week, the world No.5 has only been able to win two matches on the WTA Tour. Reflecting on her slow start to 2016, the 2015 Indian Wells champion believes that she has ‘found her game’ this week.
“It’s the best tournament this year so far, so it’s okay. I had good matches. I feel good. I found my game. I can say I’m healthy, so that’s the most important. I just want to keep working to get better.” Halep said after her loss to Williams
Agnieszka Radwanska Next
Williams will now play Agnieszka Radwanska for a place in the semifinals. Radwanska defeated Petra Kvitova in straight sets to move to the last eight. Radwanska’s latest win will elevate her to world No.2 when Monday’s rankings are published. Looking ahead to her next match, Williams is expecting a tough match against the Polish player.
“[Radwanska] knows how to play in big stadiums and big matches, big games,” The 21-time Grand Slam champion said.
“Obviously she does everything so well, including running, and this is a good surface for her because it’s a slow surface. I think I expect there will be a lot of long rallies.”
The head-to-head heavily favors Williams, who leads 9-1 against Radwanska. Her only loss occurred in 2015 at the Hopman Cup.
