By Richard Pagliaro | Monday, October 23, 2017
In her first match as world No. 1, Simona Halep stormed past Caroline Garcia, 6-4, 6-2, snapping the Frenchwoman's 11-match winning streak at the WTA Finals.
Photo credit: WTA Finals Singapore Facebook
Reaching the top spot was a stress test for Simona Halep.
The top seed treated her WTA Finals opener as a stress reliever.
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In her first match as world No. 1, Halep stormed past Caroline Garcia, 6-4, 6-2, avenging her Beijing final loss in a statement win to open the Red Group of the round-robin event.
The two-time French Open finalist raised her 2017 record to 45-15.
“It was a great match,” Halep told Andrew Krasny afterward. “I think I played one of my best tennis. It’s never easy to play Caroline. She beat me in Beijing, but I beat her in Toronto and that match was on my mind. I played well. I feel great in Singapore.”
In a match pitting the world’s best player against the game’s hottest player, Halep played pivotal points with more precision snapping Garcia’s 11-match winning streak.
It was Halep’s third win over Garcia in four meetings coming weeks after the 24-year-old Frenchwoman’s 6-4, 7-6 (3) victory in Beijing final.
Halep has spent recent weeks sharpening her serve.
It showed. The 5-foot-6 Romanian served 61 percent, hit four aces and denied five of six break points.
“I worked pretty hard after US Open (on serve),” Halep said. “Today I served really well and it really helped me win the match.”
The top seed won the coin toss, elected to receive and was immediately put to the test on her own serve shrugging off two break points to level after two games.
Changing direction down the line is a Halep asset. A backhand strike down the line followed by successive netted errors from the Frenchwoman gave Halep the first break in the fifth game.
The eighth-seeded Garcia called out her father and coach, Louis Paul, who urged her to play with more patience down the middle to deny her opponent access to angles. Garcia broke right back for 3-all on a Halep double fault.
After the seventh game, Halep took a consultation with coach Darren Cahill, who reassured the Romanian her level was solid and advised her to grind Garcia.
“No free points, come on!” Cahill said.
Tugging on her light blue visor, Garcia blinked amid ninth game tension skipping a double fault off the tape to gift the break and a 5-4 lead.
Stinging a backhand return winner right off the sideline, Garcia saved the first set point then spun a forehand down the line to erase a second set point.
On the third set point, Halep turned her hips and shoulders into a crackling backhand winner down the line closing the 49-minute set with an energized double fist pump and coach Cahill leaped from his seat and a bouncing swarm of fans waved Romanian flags in celebration.
Garcia, whose all-court acumen impressed Andy Murray so much he once touted her as a future No. 1, can play attacking tennis with more vigor than any woman in the Red Group.
The slower court surface benefitted quick-footed counter puncher Halep, while Garcia’s sometime shaky shot selection was evident as she gifted the break and a 2-1 second-set lead.
Staring down triple break point in the fourth game, Halep lifted her level with an explosive stretch that saw her slide an ace, bang a backhand down the line and curl a crosscourt backhand erasing all three break points. Drilling a backhand crosscourt, Halep escaped trouble with an emphatic comeback that demoralized her opponent.
Slashing a backhand bolt down the line, Halep broke for the second straight time stretching to 4-1.
The first Frenchwoman to qualify for the WTA Tour Finals in 11 years scattered a routine forehand sitter wide as smiling Halep closed in one hour, 27 minutes.
"(It's) the first tournament when I come when I’m number one in the world," Halep said. "I'm really happy I could win that match. It takes the pressure off. I’m hoping I can play the second match even better than today."