Halep on her win over Rybakina in Dubai - "It was really tough mentally"

Simona Halep said her win over Rybakina in the Dubai Tennis Championships was tough mentally. Halep beat Rybakina, 3-6, 6-3, 7-6(5) after three sets in a tightly contested match.

The Romanian said pressure was very high during the game. But she fought until the end because she wanted to win so badly.

"It feels great that I could win it," Halep said, during her post-match press conference. "Actually, it was amazing. [Rybakina] fought till the end. She didn't give up any balls. It was really tough mentally. The pressure was very high. But I want it badly, so that's why I fought till the end."

The Dubai Duty Free Championships is Halep's 20th career WTA singles title. And the 2020 Dubai Championships was also the tournament's 20th anniversary, which makes the triumph more special to Halep.

"It's very special to be in 2020, 20th anniversary of this tournament, 20th title. It's pretty special. I just want to enjoy it. It's very, very beautiful."

Halep also praised her opponent and said Rybakina will be breaking into the top 10 in the WTA rankings soon.

"She's strong and she has a huge serve. She's tall. She has power. I think she's really good to get into the top 10 very soon.

"[Rybakina is] moving well, even if she's very tall," Halep continued. "Her ball doesn't jump that much. It's really tough to find the length of the ball. The shot, cross backhand, is amazing. She can go also down the line. I think she's at the highest confidence level. I think everything she hits, it's really good now."

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