MADRID: Simona Halep has won her second consecutive title at the Madrid Open after fighting her way past France’s Kristina Mladenovic 7-5, 6-7(5), 6-2, in a marathon final.
The disparity in experience between the two players proved irrelevant. Halep was playing in a record third Madrid Open final and already had 14 WTA titles to her name. Meanwhile, Mladenovic was gracing her presence in her maiden Premier final with a single title under her belt.
“I know that she’s very solid. How she started this year, there was a little bit of danger there because I knew that she has confidence. When she has confidence, she’s playing well.” Halep said about the French player.
Engaged in a tug of war against the in-form Mladenovic, a nervous Halep was in for a battle from the start. Her tentative serve allowed the Frenchwoman to break twice during the opening set before she was eventually pegged back by the defending champion. Halep’s 43% second service rate in the first set was compensated by her opponent’s unforced error count of 15. Eventually, it was experience that prevailed. As Mladenovic served 5-6 down, the Romanian surged to 40-0 before sealing the set thanks to an error from the world No.17.
Halep continued to struggle to tame her resilient rival. A Nishikori-like double handed backhand secured the Romanian a set and 2-0 lead, before Mladenovic clawed her way back once again. The resistance was a true testament to why Mladenovic has defeated four top-10 players this season.
“I had some tensions (in my back), some pain here and there. I was trying not to show anything, not to think about it. I tried to fight over it, continue to enjoy and fight till the end, give everything I had.” Said Mladenovic.
Despite the even match between both, Halep appeared the more fresher out the two. During certain points, Mladenovic struggled with her movement. A sign of a lower back issue that she briefly mentioned on Friday. Still, Halep’s frustration got the better of her. A game away from the title in set two, she failed to find a solution to break her rival. After one point, she slammed her racket onto the ground, followed by kicking it, narrowly missing a ball-boy.
Simona kicked her racquet, hit the ball man. pic.twitter.com/vLLH7SeADz
— Ashish Jena (@ashishjena94) 13 May 2017
Mladenovic’s stubbornness finally rewarded her during a cat-and-mouse tiebreaker. A breathtaking forehand drop shot elevated her to set point before she forced the decider with the help of another forehand down the line.
Despite the second set blip, Halep still managed to come out on top. Mladenovic produced an array of shots to wow the Madrid crowd, but the Romanian had the slight edge with her defensive play. Halep’s pressure forced her opponent to crumble on the key points, rewarding her the double break for a 5-2 lead in the decider. Then, after two-hours and 44 minutes of play, the title was secured after a rally concluded with a Mladenovic forehand drifting out.
Final Stats: Halep d. Mladnenovic.
Amazing numbers. https://t.co/PkgYjCx1Fu pic.twitter.com/avGDaXiGoY
— WTA Insider (@WTA_insider) 13 May 2017
A warning to others
Relishing in her latest title at the Caja Magica, Halep hopes to transform this winning momentum into the grand slams. So far in her career, the best grand slam performance for the 25-year-old was runner-up at the 2014 French Open.
“I feel great that I could defend this title. It means a lot because it’s very big and gives me confidence for the bigger tournaments.” Said Halep.
“I feel that actually I have the game to win big tournaments. I have just to be consistent mentally. Today I struggled a little bit.”
The driving force behind Halep’s surge is Darren Cahiil, her coach of three years. A mentor that she credits with improving both her mentality and physicality.
“I feel that I’m a much better player since I worked with him, since I’m working with him. I hope to make him prouder winning a Grand Slam in this career.” She said.
Following this week, Halep is the most successful woman at the Madrid Open with three final appearances and two titles.
