Simona Halep has been enjoying a very good time in Rome so far and today she extended her stay in the Italian capital. She stepped onto the court to face Yulia Putintseva but the Kazahki player had little to offer in regards to tennis. From the early moments of the match Simona looked sharp even when she allowed two early break points. She saved them with ease and proceeded to win the next game to take a 3-1 lead which she built upon later on.

As the match progressed Putintseva looked worse and worse and it was evident something was wrong. She continued to play but her level dropped off a cliff and Simona won the 1st set 6-2. Putintseva continued to play in the 2nd set almost breaking Halep in the first game before surrendering her serve in the next to go down 0-2. It was then that she decided to retire from the match.

It's unclear whether the injury is something that happened during the match or earlier in the tourmamtn. Either way, Simona is through to the semifinal without any issues and he will be happy about the result even if not in the way she got it.

https://twitter.com/WTA/status/1307274246037467136