MADRID: Simona Halep continued her quest for a third consecutive Madrid Open title with an emphatic 6-1, 6-4, win over Kristyna Pliskova in the third round.
It was a case of deja vu for both women at the Caja Magica. 12 months ago, they battled it out in the same tournament with the world No.1 also prevailing in straight sets in under an hour. A similar trend formed this time round with the Romanian dictating rallies to apply pressure. Illustrated by a winner-error count of 20-13.
“In the second set, she started to play really well. I think she served much better and I couldn’t do much with the return.” Halep commented on the match.
“But I served well, too. I feel like it was a very good match, the hardest here. She has improved a lot since last year and she was different player.”
The No.1 found her range almost instantly on the Manolo Santana Court as she bullied her rival around the court. Halep grabbed her first break during a marathon fourth game. Pliskova, who is the sister of world No.6 Karolina, buckled on the fifth break point she faced after hitting forehand into the net. From then on, it was the Halep show as the Romanian cruised through the remainder of the opening set. Closing it out with an ace down the centre of the court.
Despite positioning herself in a dominant lead, Halep was not afraid to show her frustration on the court. Kicking balls and hitting her racket with her hand if things didn’t go her own way. Her mood was antagonized by Pliskova, who staged a mini resurgence in the court to test her for the first time.
“Every match I have emotions. And at this tournament, it’s really nice that I know I can play my best tennis, and I feel a little bit of pressure when I go on court.” She explained.
“But, after a few games, I just relax myself and I’m just starting to play my best tennis. It’s nice to have those emotions. They are special. And when we don’t have tournaments, we miss them. So it’s good when we have them.”
Weathering the storm, Halep eventually triumphed with the help of her opponents hot and cold play. A Pliskova double faulted followed by another unforced error gifted Halep break to serve the match out. Prompting the Czech to slam her racket on the floor. As for Halep, she closed the match out with a love service game.
In the last eight the top seed will take on either Karolina Pliskova or Sloane Stephens. She leads both of those players in their head-to-heads. Currently boasting a record of 6-2 against Pliskova and 5-2 against Stephens.
“Stephens is playing really well in this tournament so far. Karolina, the same. So it doesn’t matter against who I play. I know that the match will be very tough.” She said.
“I will be ready. I will focus on myself, like every match. And we’ll see what is going to happen.”
Halep has now won 15 consecutive matches at the Madrid Open.
