Reuters
Singapore, Oct 25: Romania’s Simona Halep kicked off her campaign for a maiden WTA Finals title in emphatic fashion with a thumping 6-0, 6-3 victory over US Open champion Flavia Pennetta in the first match of the eight-woman season-ending tournament which started here Sunday.
While the opener proved to be a sprint, the second ‘Red Group’ tie was a marathon when Maria Sharapova beat Agnieszka Radwanska 4-6, 6-3, 6-4 in an exciting encounter marked by several swings in momentum as both players struggled on serve.
World No. 2 Halep is the highest ranked player in the field after Serena Williams, who has won the tournament for the last three years, withdrew citing the need to rest after a year spent carrying injuries in her quest for a calendar Grand Slam. She had been decimated when she met the American in the final last year.
“I can play my best tennis here yet I didn’t play my best today (Sunday), but I played good tennis,” stated Halep after her victory. “I played solid and was dominating the match,” she added.
Meanwhile, sidelined by leg and arm injuries, Sharapova had yet to complete a match since Wimbledon but after shaking off some initial rust, the Russian was back to her very best against Radwanska, playing each point as if her life depended on it.
A single break was enough to give the Pole an edge in the opener but her excellent retrieving skills could do little to prevent the World No. 3 from rallying for victory once the Russian had raised her intensity levels through the roof.
“Coming into this event, I tried to do everything I could to be healthy and although I didn’t play my best tennis today, sometimes that’s not what matters,” Sharapova said of a match that lasted two hours, 48 minutes with a large portion of games going to deuce.
At a glance
Simona Halep bt Flavia Pennetta 6-0, 6-3
Maria Sharapova beat Agnieszka Radwanska 4-6, 6-3, 6-4
