By Richard Pagliaro | Tuesday, January 15, 2019
Down a set and a break, Simona Halep fought off Kaia Kanepi, 6-7 (2), 6-4, 6-2, to avenge her US Open first-round loss and reach the Australian Open second round.
Photo credit: Mark Peterson/Corleve
Illness and fatigue hit Simona Halep hard as she stepped onto Margaret Court Arena tonight.
The world No. 1 was sick and tired of her losing slide.
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Down a set and a break to the woman who knocked her out of the US Open first round, Halep hit back with accuracy and aggression as antidote.
The top seed stormed back to conquer Kaia Kanepi, 6-7 (2), 6-4, 6-2, snapping a horror-show run with a Happy Slam ending.
Competing with resolve, Halep created redemption avenging her 6-2, 6-4, loss to Kanepi at the US Open in August.
The 2018 Australian Open finalist fought into a second-round clash vs. American Sofia Kenin.
Empowered by capturing her first WTA title in Hobart last week, Kenin edged Russian qualifier Veronika Kudermetova, 6-3, 3-6, 7-5, in two hours, six minutes.
The Australian summer was still winter the last time Halep won a match.
Remarkably, This was Halep's first victory since she swept Aryna Sabalenka, 6-3, 6-4, in the Cincinnati semifinals last August.
It didn't come easy.
Digging in with defiance down a set and 1-2, Halep exploited successive errors to break back sparking a run that saw her win 11 of the final 15 games.
A committed Kanepi used a slick drop volley to snatch a one-set lead then broke to go up 2-1 in the second set.
Kinesiology tape snaked around Kanepi's left shoulder as the 33-year-old Estonian unraveled in the fourth game.
Ballooning a mid-court forehand way beyond the baseline, Kanepi double-faulted back the break.
The reigning Roland Garros champion was down 15-30 in the seventh game, when Halep sprinted right and slashed a superb running forehand winner down the line.
Instead of facing double break point, that stunning strike spiked a stand as Halep held for 4-3.
Moving with more urgency, Halep turned the tide hitting behind the world No. 71.
Credit Kanepi with hanging tough and fighting off three set points in the 10th game.
Undaunted, Halep hammered a backhand down the line for a fourth set point.
This time, the top seed did not let opportunity slip closing the second set to level the match when Kanepi floated a backhand beyond the baseline.
Swinging more freely in the final set, Halep banged out the break for a 4-2 lead when Kanepi missed a backhand.
The physicality of rallies took a tool on Kanepi, who lost a bit of her edge and took an injury timeout for treatment of a blister on her finger.
The top seed held at 15 to back up the break and reeled off the final four games to close in two hours, 11 minutes.
Ten different women are capable of concluding the tournament seizing the No. 1 ranking, but Halep showed strong staying power today.
The 2018 finalist will extend her stay at No.1 to 64 weeks atop the WTA Rankings, the 10th most all-time, including the two weeks of the Australian Open. Halep knows holding onto the top spot won't be easy.
If the Romanian, who parted with coach Darren Cahill at the end of 2018, beats Kenin she'll face either Venus Williams or Alize Cornet in round three with a possible showdown with 23-time Grand Slam champion Serena Williams looming in the fourth round.