Simona Halep won her first Internazionali BNL title after the defending champion Karolina Pliskova retired not long after the start of the 2nd set.

Simona Halep won her first Internazionali BNL title after Karolina Pliskova retired from the match after suffering an injury. While it wasn't in the manner that she may have liked Halep was still overjoyed that she finally won a tournament she plays regularly and loves attending. She said:

"I've finally won it. I love this tournament, and I play well here almost every year - besides last year, of course. I started my rise up the rankings at this tournament in 2013, so I've always dreamed of having this title. I'm really happy that it happened today."

She spent only 32 minutes on the court which was enough to win the 1st set 6-0 before Pliskova retired in the 2nd set. Before the set, the Czech player took a brief medical timeout but it didn't help her much. After the match, Pliskova said that she felt off yesterday thinking about retiring before the match but she decided to give it a go.

As for Halep who is currently on a 14 match winning streak she said she is already looking ahead:

"It's a dream for everyone to win the Grand Slam tournament from the first day, so it's my dream as well, but I'm not thinking that far. I just want to go there, get used to the courts and the atmosphere, and try to win every match I play. Every match is a battle, so I'll be ready for it.

The French Open is set to begin next week with Halep amongst the favourites to win it.

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