Top seed Simona Halep showed no signs of being bothered by injury as she cruised past Eugenie Bouchard 6-2, 6-2, in the second round of the Australian Open.
Fears over the fitness of the world No.1 erupted earlier this week when she rolled her ankle on the court. Halep has previously suffered from ankle injuries. Despite the scare, the Romanian was back in full swing against Bouchard as she charged around the court with her world class defensive play. Hitting 16 winners and winning 62% of her first service points during what was a mainly one-sided encounter.
“I think I played really well tonight. I just felt the ball.” Halep concluded after the match.
“It’s always hard to play against her because she hit the ball very fast and stays very close to the baseline. I just had in my head that I had to open the court, so I did.”
The start of the match delighted the Melbourne crowd as both players played some of their best tennis. Illustrated by some breathtaking exchanges between them. The difference was that Halep had the greater consistency and the greater power. Breaking Bouchard four consecutive times as the Canadian produced 15 unforced errors during the during the opening set. In comparison Halep produced eight unforced errors along with seven winners.
It wasn’t until the 11th game of the match that Bouchard held her serve as she tried to become more of a test for Halep. The Canadian displayed glimpses of the form that has taken her to the Wimbledon final back in 2014, but they were too irregular to make an impact. Halep’s powerful play once again enabled her to dictate as she continued to dismantle her opponent’s serve. Grabbing back-to-back breaks with the help of some deep hitting to close in on the win. A clean forehand winner granted the Romanian her first match point, which she converted with the help of another Bouchard error.
It is the first time Halep has reached the last 32 in Melbourne since 2015. Over the past two years the 26-year-old have suffered first round losses. Now, as the top seed, she is aiming to go beyond the quarter-finals of the tournament for the first time in her career.
“I am really happy that I can play in the third round again here (at the Australian Open). For two years I have lost in the first round. I just want to enjoy my time (here).” Said Halep.
Despite the convincing performance, concerns remain about the state of Halep’s ankle. After her second round win, she admits that she remains ‘a little bit’ injured and is still experiencing pain.
“Even if I am a little bit injured. I played very well and I moved very well.” She said.
“I feel the pain, but I didn’t think about it. I just wanted to play the match and to win it.”
Halep will take on America’s Lauren Davis in the next round.
