Simona Halep produced a sensational display to thrash 2019 nemesis Amanda Anisimova 6-0 6-1 in the third round of the 2020 French Open.
The match could hardly have been any more different to last year’s quarter-final. On that occasion, the American hammered winners from all over the court to earn a surprise 6-2 6-4 win.
Halep was understandably angry with that loss, and she has since admitted that she got her tactics completely wrong. But she put everything right this time around and showed everyone why she is a two-time Grand Slam champion.
“I think I played really well,” Halep said in her post-match interview on Eurosport. “And I did exactly what I had to. I learned so many things from last year, so I wanted to show myself that I’m able to win a match against her. I’m really happy with the way I played. Even though the ball is really heavy, I’ve been very aggressive.”
She continued, “I love to return, so it’s actually my pleasure to do so many returns in practice and that’s why I felt so confident today. I knew that last year I played very far from the court, so I had to change this and do something with the return. I did well and I think the plan was great for today.”
Halep dominates
Halep took control of the match immediately. She returned aggressively in the opening game and was rewarded with a break when Anisimova made a double fault at 30-40.
The Romanian continued to attack for the rest of the match. But unlike in 2019, the World No.2 mixed up her groundstrokes. She used her full array of different spins, heights and angles to disrupt the American’s rhythm.
This approach worked superbly. Halep completely dominated throughout and she wrapped up victory in just 54 minutes.
The Romanian’s impressive stats are also worth mentioning. She got 72% of her first serves and won 77% of the points behind it. She hit 15 winners and just seven unforced errors. And she won 61% of all the points played on her opponent’s serve. To top it all off, she did not miss a single return in the opening set.
By contrast, Anisimova did not find her range at any stage. She won just 19% of points behind her second serve. And, although she hit 18 winners, their effect was minimal because of the 32 unforced errors she made.
Halep will face Iga Swiatek in the last 16. The talented Pole, 19, has dropped just 13 games during three excellent straight-sets wins at Roland Garros so far. However, she is unlikely to fancy her chances against the Romanian as she lost 6-1 6-0 to her at the same stage last year.
2018 champion is on a roll
Halep extended her unbeaten run to 17 matches when she beat Anisimova. During that time, she has won titles in Dubai, Prague and Rome.
The Romanian is also a picture of contentment on court and in interviews. It is clear that she knows exactly what she wants to do in tennis and in life at the moment.
That is why those who have followed Halep’s career will not have been concerned by her decision to skip the US Open this year. Unsurprisingly, she believes it has worked out well.
“For me it was the best decision to not go to the US Open,” the Romanian said. “I just felt that I needed to stay home. Although I didn’t actually train that much on clay in the five months, I love (the surface), so I feel happy and confident and I really enjoy being here at Roland Garros.”
It also adds to the happy feeling around the Halep camp that she achieved her brilliant win over Anisimova on her coach Darren Cahill’s birthday. The Romanian said in her on-court interview that the victory was a gift for him, and it seems safe to assume that he enjoyed it very much.
