Simona Halep's return: wildcard entry to Auckland event

Former world number one Simona Halep has been given a wildcard entry into the ASB Classic event. The 2025 edition of the competition will be played from 6-11 January in Auckland, where some of the top players, both in men’s and women’s tennis, will take part in the competition to showcase their talent.

As per the latest report, former world number one Halep has been given a wildcard entry into the competition. The development will definitely help the 33-year-old, who will be hoping for an improved season in 2025 after struggling to maintain fitness and form in 2024 when she returned to the court after spending a lengthy spell on the sidelines because of a doping scandal.

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Halep returned to the court in 2024 after her three-year ban for testing positive for roxadustat was overturned by the Court of Arbitration for Sport (CAS) on February 7. However, the former world number one only managed to play five games in the calendar year after suffering an injury on her return. She managed to win just one out of those matches.

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Halep is a two-time Grand Slam winner. Her last major title was Wimbledon, where she lifted the title after beating the former world number one America’s Serena Williams in the final in straight sets with a score of 6-2, 6-2. Participating in Auckland will give Halep an opportunity to prepare for the first Grand Slam of the year, which is going to be played in Melbourne. Halep has a good record while playing at the Australian Open, where she finished as the runner-up in the 2018 edition after losing to former world number one Caroline Wozniacki with a score of 7-6, 3-6, 6-4. Last year, it was the reigning world number three. America’s Coco Gauff lifted the title in Auckland after beating Ukraine’s Elina Svitolina in the final with a score of 6-7, 6-3, 6-3.