Singapore: Simona Halep made a winning start to her WTA Finals campaign with an impressive 6-4, 6-2 victory over Frenchwoman Caroline Garcia here Monday, the Romanian surging clear in the second set to subdue her in-form opponent at the Singapore Indoor Stadium.
The second Red Group match of the day was a completely one-sided affair when Denmark’s Caroline Wozniacki blew away Elina Svitolina 6-2, 6-0 in less than an hour to gain revenge for two finals defeats against the Ukrainian this season.
Garcia was the last woman to qualify for the elite eight-woman event when the 24-year-old won back-to-back titles in China but her tournament debut ended in defeat when World No.1 Halep halted her 11-match winning run in emphatic fashion.
There was little to choose between the aggressive baseliners in the first set but Halep stepped up a gear on the key points in the opener before hassling and harrying Garcia all over the court in the second to triumph in 88 minutes.
“I am really happy that I could win my first match as the No.1 in the world, it takes the pressure off,” Halep, who was beaten by Garcia in the China Open final this month, said in a courtside interview. “I enjoy being in this position and hopefully I can play better in my second match than I did today.”
Svitolina was also making her debut here after a stellar campaign in which she won five titles, but the World No.4 was overwhelmed by Wozniacki, who won 10 games in a row to turn a close match into a rout.
Wozniacki had suffered heavy defeats by Svitolina in Dubai and Toronto this year, two of six finals she lost, but once her powerful serve had helped claim the opening set, the dispirited Ukrainian offered only token resistance in the second.
At a glance
Simona Halep bt Caroline Garcia 6-4, 6-2
Caroline Wozniacki bt Elina Svitolina 6-2, 6-0
Reuters