Simona Halep booked a quarterfinal showdown with Timea Bacsinszky at the Miami Open after a convincing 6-3, 6-4, win over Great Britain’s Heather Watson.
The fifth seed produced a slow start to the match after dropping her first two serving games against the world No.69. It was a familiar pattern for both players, who were at times very tentative in their service games. Breaking back to level 3-3, Halep dominated the remainder of the opening set after giving the Brit a dose of her own medicine by breaking her two consecutive times to lead 5-3. The Romanian closed the set by firing a blistering cross-court forehand winner.
Leading by a set, Halep still faced some tough resistance from the British player. Taking the early initiative to break for a 3-2 lead in the second set, Halep was broken immediately by Watson to level 3-3. The comeback from Watson was destroyed in the following game after a disastrous service game from the Brit. Back-to-back double faults aided Halep to break once again, but this time she was able to consolidate the break to lead 5-3. Easing to three match points after a backhand slice from her opponent failed to go over the net, Halep took the match after error No.33 came of Watson’s racket.
Fifth seed @Simona_Halep knocks out @HeatherWatson92 in straight sets in the #MiamiOpen fourth round. https://t.co/CT2J5zRTSs
— BT Sport (@btsport) 28 March 2016
The win elevates Halep to her second consecutive quarterfinal in Miami. Despite her solid win over Watson, there is still room for improvement for the Romanian. Halep converted 5/14 break points and won only 1/5 points at the net. In addition, she produced 13 unforced errors compared to 12 winners.
Awaiting Halep in the last eight in Miami will be Switzerland’s Timea Bacsinszky. The Swiss player stunned third seed Agnieszka Radwanska 2-6, 6-4, 6-2, to grab the biggest win of her career.
Initially, it looked like Radwanska was on course for a comprehensive victory after sealing the first set in 35 minutes without facing a single break point. Bacsinszky started to turn her fortunes around in the second set as she took advantage to Radwanska’s inconsistencies on the court. Breaking the world No.2 three consecutive times, the Swiss player displayed the same form that took her to the quarterfinals at Roland Garros last year as she took the match into a decider.
After the conclusion of the second set, both players left the court for a comfort break. Returning to the court, Bacsinszky started the strongest by claiming eight consecutive points to grab the early break. As the Swiss players winner count grew, Radwanska didn’t know how to recover from the early onslaught. A surprise for the usually consistent Polish player. The mood of the Radwanska camp didn’t improve as an inspired Bacsinszky broke once again for the chance to serve for the match. She earned her first match point after a stunning backhand winner down the line. As the clock struck two minutes past the two-hour mark, Bacsinszky grabbed her first win over a top-10 player this year when a lengthy rally concluded with Radwanska hitting the ball out, prompting a scream of delight from her.
Match point #Bacsinszky 2-6 6-4 6-2 #Radwanska @TennisAuFeminin @MiamiTennisNews #MiamiOpen #WTA @WomenTennisFan pic.twitter.com/DArySKZ0O2
— Romain Collet-Gaudin (@RomColletGaudin) 28 March 2016
The unexpected win by the Swiss has ended Radwanska’s impressive 2016 record. Prior to Miami, the world No.2 has reached at least the semi-final stage at her last four tournaments.
“I wasn’t playing that well myself in the first set, I told myself that it would be a long match. I started to come down a bit, I was very nervous in the first set”. The Swiss said about the biggest win of her career.
The 26-year-old also spoke about her lucky charm in the audience.
“ I feel great it has been a long way to here.” She said
“I have a lucky charm, she’s here, Lara Gut.”
Gut is a Swiss skier who won the overall world cup this year in the sport.
The upcoming Miami quarterfinal will be the third meeting between Halep and Bacsinszky. The Romanian currently leads the head-to-head 2-0.
