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Romanian tennis player Simona Halep qualified for the quarterfinals of the WTA 500 tournament in Dubai (United Arab Emirates) on Wednesday, with a total prize pool of 768,680 dollars, after defeating Romanian Elena-Gabriela Ruse 6-3, 6-2, Agerpres reports.
Ruse (24 years old, the 59th in the WTA), coming from the qualifiers, had a sensational result in the first round, 6-3, 5-7, 6-4 with the Spaniard Paula Badosa (5 WTA), her first victory versus a player from top 10.
Halep, champion in 2015 and 2020 in Dubai, also won her first direct matches with Ruse, last year at the Transylvania Open, in the first round, 6-1, 6-2, and this year at Melbourne Summer Set 1, in the second round, 6-2, 6-1.
Ruse received a cheque for 9,000 dollars and 80 WTA points, while Halep has secured 17,500 dollars and 100 WTA points. Halep is in Dubai quarterfinals for the fourth time.
Simona's next opponent will be Tunisian Ons Jabeur, who beat the American Jessica Pegula, 6-3, 6-1.
Halep and Jabeur (27 years old, the 10th in the WTA) have met each other twice so far, the score being equal, 1-1. In 2018, in the first round in Beijing, the Tunisian took advantage of Simona's forfeiting after a set won by 6-1. In 2020, in the 2nd round in Dubai, Halep won 1-6, 6-2, 7-6 (7).
In another match played on Wednesday, in the first round of doubles, Raluca Olaru and Ukrainian Nadia Kicenok were defeated by the number two seeds, Veronica Kudermetova (Russia) / Elise Mertens (Belgium), 7-6 (4), 4-6, 10-6, in one hour and 53 minutes.
The defeated will be rewarded with a cheque for 3,900 dollars and a WTA point in doubles.
