World No.1 Simona Halep overcame a severe scare at the Australian Open to defeat Nemesis Kaia Kanepi 6-7(2), 6-4, 6-2, in her opening match on the Margaret Court Arena.
The first round clash in Melbourne was a sense of deja vu for both women. Just four months ago, they clashed in the first round of the US Open. On that occasion Kanepi prevailed in straight sets. Halep looked on course to suffering the same fate in Melbourne, but produced a gutsy display to fight back from a set and a break down in what was a roller coaster encounter. Illustrated by Halep’s winner-error ratio of 25-16, compared to Knepi’s 50-62.
“I don’t want to remember that match because it was a tough one.” Halep joked about her previous US Open loss.
“It was a great atmosphere and it was a pleasure to come back here (to Melbourne) and win the match”
“I knew what I had to do to play against her, I knew that she is a very tough opponent. I had to be strong on my legs and believe that I could win the match.”
During what was a highly competitive first set, both players demonstrated their fighting spirit. Kanepi’s all or nothing shot-making was being matched by some sublime defensive play by Halep. Nevertheless, it was the Estonian that piled the pressure onto the world No.1. Leading by 6-5, Kanepi rallied her way to two set point opportunities, but failed to capitalize. However, the aggressive playing world No.71 dominated the tiebreaker to race to a 6-2 advantage. The 7-6 lead was then secured with the help of a delicate drop shot.
Breaking once more during the early stages of set number two, it appeared as if Kanepi would cruise towards the finish line. However, a tentative service game which concluded with a double fault enabled Halep to break back and revive her chances.
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The turn in events played into the hands of a determined Halep, who was forced to battle hard. Leading 5-4, she pounced on the Kanepi serve. Working her way to three set point opportunities before being denied by her opponent. It was on her fourth chance that Halep prevailed with the help of a backhand from her opponent landing beyond the baseline.
With a place in the second round at stake, both women refused to budge early on in the decider. It wasn’t until the sixth game where Halep got the breakthrough she desired. Kanepi, who began to be bothered by a blister on her left hand, hit two consecutive unforced errors from her forehand side that resulted in the top seed breaking for 3-2. From then on, the match was a foregone conclusion. Moving to a game away from victory, Halep clinched the win with the help of another mistake from across the court.
“It was good from me tonight and I’m really happy that I will play in the second round.” The world No.1 evaluated.
Scoring her 17th main draw win at the grand slam since making her debut back in 2011, Halep said she was feeling ‘confident’ as a result of her latest triumph. The world No.1 was yet to win a match this year going into the tournament and was hampered by a back injury towards the end of 2018.
“A lot of confidence because it is not easy to play against Kaia. Definitely the next round will be tough, but I look forward to getting back on court to try my best.” She commented when asked what she took from the match.
Halep will take on America’s Sofia Kenin in the second round. The 19-year-old defeated Veronika Kudermetova 3-6, 6-3, 7-5, in her opening match.