Badosa halts Halep's comeback 💥 @paulabadosa comes from behind to defeat former World No. 1 Simona Halep in a tight three setter. #MiamiOpen
Paula BADOSA foils Simona HALEP’s return in thrilling Miami Open clash
WTATuesday, 19 March 2024 at 23:25
Paula Badosa defeated Simona Halep 1-6, 6-4, 6-3 to advance to the second round of the WTA 1000 Miami Open. The Romanian played her first match since the first round of the 2022 US Open (lost to Daria Snigur) and showed a great level, but it wasn't enough against the consistency of the Spanish player in the latter part of the match.
The 2-times Grand Slam champion received a 4-year suspension in October 2022 after roxadust was found in her body. Halep defended her innocence from the beginning, and after a cumbersome appeals process, the Court for the Arbitration of Sport reduced her sanction to nine months, which meant her immediate return as 550 days had passed since the ban began.
Halep was ranked as world No. 6 just two months before the ban, and despite not playing in the last few months of 2022, she ended the year inside the top-10. Since the suspension, Halep constantly shared her training sessions on social media despite the uncertainty about her return. And from the beginning, it seemed like the Romanian had not been away from the tour for so long.
In the early stages of the match, Halep took the lead in the third game on her first break opportunity. The Romanian was dominant throughout the set, both in her return and service games. She increased her lead to 4-1 on her second break opportunity.
The sixth game was the most contested, with 24 points played, and Halep saved 5 break points against her to hold her service game once again. Finally, she maintained her effectiveness from the return, securing her third break again on her first opportunity.
Badosa went from winning 44% of the points on her serve in the first set to 68%, and she especially improved on her second serve, increasing it from 17% to 50%. The Spanish player, ranked world No. 80, secured a single break in the third game, and both she and Halep held their service games without too much trouble. When Badosa was up 5-4, the Romanian requested a medical time-out for discomfort in her right shoulder, and upon her return, Badosa won the set 6-4.
The third set was filled with tension, with breaks on each side. Badosa took a lead with a break and maintained a 4-2 advantage, which was enough for her to secure the set 6-3 on her first match point after two hours of play.
In the second round, she will face world No. 2 Aryna Sabalenka, who despite the tragic death of her boyfriend Konstantin Kolsov, a former professional ice hockey player, decided to participate in the Miami Open.
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