By Chris Oddo | @TheFanChild | Saturday March 19, 2022
Last week at Indian Wells Simona Halep told reporters that she feels she is very far from her top level. After reaching the semifinals, the Romanian feels she has made good progress.
Halep, who held two set points in the opening set of her 7-6(6), 6-4 loss to Iga Swiatek on Friday night at the BNP Paribas Open, praised the young Pole for her talents, but added that she takes a lot of positives from her performance.
“I think she has a lot of power,” Halep said. “She has good mental. She's a great player and it's always tough to play against her, so I knew that it's going to be a tough battle.”
The Romanian struggled with a left thigh issue during the match, and had to have it taped. She hopes it will not affect her going forward.
"It got worse a little bit in the second set on the backhand part, on the backhand side," she said. "Yeah, I struggled a little bit with it. Now it's sore, but I hope in few days it will be okay."
Halep had her chances to take the opening set, and was very frustrated not to capitalize on the set points she had in the tiebreak. She would end up smashing her racquet in disgust and earning a code violation. That said, the 30-year-old got some positive vibes from her time in the California desert.
“I took the confidence from this match,” she said. “I was super close and it means that even if it's the first week when I felt like I'm coming back to the level that I really want to touch again, it was a good match for me.”
Halep is pleased to have picked up four solid victories at Indian Wells, in her first competitive week with new coach Morgan Bourbon by her side. The pair will take their positive energy to the east coast, for nest week’s Miami Open.
“I think that is the most important thing,” Halep said. “It's a semifinal, so it's a good thing that I could play so many matches and tough matches. And winning them.” Today, of course, it wasn't to be for me, but I think I can, I have many positives and I will take all. Of course tonight is tough to see that, but I'm sure that I will speak with my people and I will be good after.