Simona Halep Marches To Montreal Glory At The Rogers Cup - UBITENNIS
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Simona Halep Marches To Montreal Glory At The Rogers Cup

By Adam Addicott
4 Min Read
Simona Halep reacts to a point during the final of the 2016 Rogers Cup (image via zimbio.com)

Simona Halep has become the first Romanian in history to win the Rogers Cup after defeating an error-stricken Madison Keys 7-6(1), 6-3, in the Montreal final.

The significance of the occasion resulted in a chaotic opening set with a total of eight breaks of service as both players struggled to cope with their nerves. Halep was targeting redemption in the tournament following her retirement in the final last year and Keys was playing in her first ever WTA final on a hardcourt. The world No.5 had a chance to serve the set out at 5-4, but was unable to do so due to some powerful hitting from her American opponent. The roller coaster set resulted in a very one-sided tiebreaker.

Halep’s experience on the tour proved significant during the tiebreaker as a 21-year-old Keys produced an error-stricken performance. Every point won by the Romanian in the tiebreak was due to an error from her opponent, creating uncomfortable viewing for Keys’ coach as well as her American fans in the crowd.

Incredibly Halep managed only one winner throughout the opening set compared to 15 unforced errors, an unlikely statistic for a player who has won a set. Nevertheless, the favourite was given a massive dose of help from Keys, who produced 27 unforced errors.

Clinching the opening set, there was no danger of Halep losing her grip on the lead as her rival became even more erratic on the court. Capitalising of Keys’ inability to control her lightning speed shots, Halep broke at the start of the second set to swiftly race to a 3-0 lead. Keys did display glimmers of the tennis that has earned her the reputation of being one of the most promising rising stars, however, they were overshadowed by her questionable and costly shot-making.

Edging closer to her third title of the season, Halep strolled to a game away from victory at 5-2. Serving for the title, the 24-year-old recovered from a 0-30 deficit to earn her first championship point following a backhand error from keys. Halep only required one chance to take the title after a lengthy rally concluded with a forehand error from her opponent.

Following her run in Montreal, Halep will return to world No.3 when Monday’s rankings are updated. The triumph is the 14th singles titles of her blossoming career.

“It has been an amazing week for me here, it felt like home.” Halep said during her trophy ceremony.
“Many Romanians and Canadians have supported me here.”

There will be little time for Halep to celebrate as she prepares for the women’s doubles final with her compatriot Monica Niculescu. If she wins, Halep will become the first player since Martina Hingis in 2000 to with both the singles and doubles title at the Rogers Cup within the same year.

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