Simona Halep battles past inspired Potapova to secure second-round berth at Western & Southern Open

Following her run to the title in Toronto last week, Simona Halep survived an early round scare to defeat Anastasia Potapova and advance to the second round at the Western & Southern Open on Tuesday.

Halep overcame a mid-match slump to prevail in a 6-4 3-6 6-3 victory, keeping her winning streak alive after a superb week in Toronto. The Romanian exchanged double breaks with Potapova, before clinging on to secure a third break and claim the opening set.

Despite her service woes in the first set, Potapova was able to wrangle control from the former World No.1 in the second set. The World No.54 capitalized on some inconsistent play from Halep, forcing her opponent to commit errors which led to Potapova winning the second set.

With the match tied and the crowd hungry for more, it was Halep who produced some excellent defensive play to frustrate her opponent. This led to the two-time Grand Slam champion earning the crucial break, allowing her to end proceedings after an exhausting two hours and 11 minutes of play.