The Romanian tennis player Simona Halep returned with a victory in the women's professional circuit, defeating Australian Arina Rodionova 6-2, 4-6, 6-4 on Wednesday, in the first round of the WTA 125 tournament in Hong Kong, with total prizes of 115,000 dollars, for which she received a wild card.
The former world leader achieved a hard-earned victory after two hours and 8 minutes of play.
Halep started with a break and dominated the first set, won 6-2. In the second act, Halep had a level drop, and Rodinova led 3-0 and 4-1, Halep came back and leveled (4-4), but lost at the end of the set (4-6). The decider was very hard-played, although Halep started with a break, but the player of Russian origin leveled and then had the service advantage. The Romanian managed a break at 3-3, but immediately lost her serve. Halep made another break at 4-4, and then ended with service (6-4).
This was the first duel between Halep (33 years old), currently ranked 1,130 in the world, and Rodionova (34 years old, 114 WTA).
Halep had not played since May, when she was forced to forfeit in the first round of Trophee Clarins (WTA 125), in Paris, 7-5, 2-3 in the match versus American McCartney Kessler.
Simona Halep, former double Grand Slam champion (Roland Garros and Wimbledon), was defeated by the Spanish Paula Badosa, 1-6, 6-4, 6-3, on March 20, in the first round of the WTA tournament 1,000 in Miami (Florida) in her return match to the professional circuit after her doping ban was reduced from four years to nine months.
Initially, Simona Halep's return to the professional circuit after the injury in May was supposed to take place next month at the WTA 250 tournament in Hong Kong (October 28-November 3), for which she also received a wild card.
Halep secured a 2,000-dollar cheque and 15 WTA points and will play in the round of 16 versus Russian Ana Blinkova (26 years old, 78 WTA), the 2023 Transylvania Open champion.
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