MADRID: Defending champion Simona Halep experienced little difficulty during her dominating 6-1, 6-1, triumph over a lackluster Coco Vandeweghe in the quarterfinals at the Madrid Open.
The first ever meeting between the two players on the tour soon turned out to be one to forget for the unseeded American. Halep’s quick movement around the court and heavy shot-making enabled her to dominate the opening set. Capitalizing on ten unforced errors from the frustrated 25-year-old, the Romanian cruised to a 6-1 lead without breaking a sweat. The one-sided offensive proved too much for Vandeweghe, who smashed her racket onto the Manolo Santana court.
“I can’t even make a return! She’s acing me, for god’s sakes! It’s embarrassing.” Vandeweghe said to her coach after dropping the first set.
Closing in on a place in the last four, the third seed never looked in danger. Even down 0-40 in one of her service games, Halep managed to claw her way back, thanks to the help of her lackluster rival. Vandeweghe’s belief was one that eluded her throughout the match. Even when she scored a single game in the second set, her reaction was more relief than anything else.
A rain delay briefly brought a halt to the match, but it failed to prevent the inevitable outcome. At the strike of the 59-minute mark, a Halep cross-court forehand on match point booked the Romanian her place in the semifinals.
Seeking to become only the second woman to win back-to-back titles in Madrid after Serena Williams, Halep will play either Anastasija Sevastova or Kiki Bertens in Friday’s semi-final.
