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Romanian tennis player Simona Halep, number two player worldwide, dramatically qualified for the third round of the Australian Open tournament, the first Grand Slam of the year, after defeating Australian Ajla Tomljanovic, by 4-6, 6-4, 7-5, on Wednesday, in Melbourne, according to AGERPRES.
Halep (29 years old), the second favorite of the tour, had a formidable comeback in the decisive match, from 2-5, winning after 2 hours and 34 minutes.
Halep now has 5-0 in the direct matches with Ajla Tomljanovic (27 years old, 69 WTA), whom she defeated for the first time in 2010, in Lisbon, in the Fed Cup, by 6-7 (5), 6-1, 7-6 (2), then again in 2019 during the second tour in Cincinnati, by 4-6, 6-3, 6-3, in 2019 at Roland Garros by 6-2, 3-6, 6-1, and the last time in the previous year in Adelaide, by 6-4, 7-5.
In the third round, Halep, finalist at Australian Open in 2018 and semi-finalist last year, will face off Russian Veronika Kudermetova, seeded 32, who defeated her compatriot Varvara Graceva, by 5-7, 6-2, 6-2.
This will be the first duel between Halep and Kudermetova (23 years old, 36 WTA).
Halep, who will play doubles along young Australian player Charlotte Kempenaers-Pocz (16 years old), secured a cheque of 215,000 Australian dollars and 130 WTA points.
