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By Richard Pagliaro | Sunday, May 20, 2018

There is a time and place for everything.

Today's Rome final was not the time or place for Simona Halep to challenge Elina Svitolina's supremacy.

More: Del Potro May Miss Roland Garros

A sharp Svitolina outclassed a listless Halep, 6-0, 6-4, capturing her second straight Rome title in a rematch of the 2017 final.




The fourth-seeded Ukrainian converted four of nine break points and did not face a break point rolling through a 67-minute rout. Svitolina beat Halep to the ball and played with more clarity and care carving up the top seed in a victory that ensures she will earn a Top 4 seeding at Roland Garros, which starts next Sunday.

A streaking Svitolina stretched her Rome winning streak to 10 matches, defeating a world No. 1 player for the seventh time.

"It's amazing that I could come and defend my title here," said Svitolina, the first woman to successfully defend Rome since Serena Williams four years ago. "It's really something very, very special for me."

It is Svitolina's third title of the season, following her triumphs in Brisbane and Dubai.




Solidifying her status as a big-match player, Svitolina scored her eighth straight finals victory, raising her career championship record to 12-2.

It was a deeply disappointing and oddly apathetic performance from the top-seeded Halep, who showed so much spirit and grit defeating three-time Maria Sharapova in a gripping three-set semifinal yesterday.

A moody Halep simply failed to show up for a set, looked unwilling to engage in extended rallies for much of the match, took a medical timeout midway through the second set and ultimately showed little resistance falling to 16-14 in career finals.

"I think I was a little bit too stiff with my body and I couldn't stay in the rallies," Halep said. "And I missed a lot. She was solid. She is solid every time I play against her. So it was a good match made by her and she deserved to win for sure."

Against an opponent clad in an identical ivory Nike outfit, Svitolina won the toss, elected to receive and broke in the opening game running down an ill-advised Halep drop shot.

A sloppy Halep struggled to control her shots, littering errors as Svitolina stabbed a backhand down the line to confirm the break.

Playing with more precision, Svitolina won 12 of the first 18 points.
Dancing around her backhand, she drilled a diagonal forehand breaking again for 3-0.



The unerring baseliner burst through a love hold extending to 4-0 after just 13 minutes. Svitolina tripled the top seed's point total (24 to 8) steamrolling to a one-set lead after 19 minutes.

The final of a Premier event is not the time or place for a top-ranked player to throw a pity party.

A disgusted coach Darren Cahill called out Halep to work harder.

"You're littering up the stat sheet, errors all over the place," Cahill told Halep during a coaching visit. "Work, work, work. If you're not prepared to work, this is not gonna happen."

Putting more balls in the court and showing a willingness to rally, Halep shook her stupor holding to start the second set to snap the shutout after 24 minutes of one-way traffic.

Finishing fast starts has been key to Svitolina's success—she was 19-2 when winning the opening set this season—and she fought her way out of a corner in the third game.

On the defensive, Svitolina held her ground in the corner and countered when Halep tried to hit behind her to extend the rally. Svitolina smacked a forehand winner down the line, celebrating with a furious fist pump. That transformative sequence helped her earn her fourth break.

The reigning champion quickly consolidated for 3-1.

After holding in the fifth game, Halep left the court for a medical timeout for treatment of an apparent lower back injury she said she sustained hitting a backhand.

"The match from yesterday, every time I play against Sharapova the ball is coming very flat and I bend a lot so my back gets a little bit sore," Halep said. "But it was not about injury. Today, I was not fresh enough to start the match better.

"I couldn't run because I knew I'd have to run in this match. I didn't start well. Maybe I was rushing a little bit. She didn't miss. I missed in the first set, but then the match was a little bit better. And it's good that I could finish strong."

In the seventh game, Halep showed some desire scrambling her way to saving two break points then dodging a third when Svitolina narrowly missed the sideline with a backhand return.

Capping her most spirited effort of the day with her second ace, Halep held for 3-4 prompting coach Cahill to rise from his seat and applaud her fight.

This day was all about Svitolina and she wasn't about to let the moment pass.

A year ago, Halep denied a match point in the tie break roaring back to win 11 of the last 12 games stunning Svitolina, 3-6, 7-6 (6), 6-0, to surge into her second Roland Garros semifinal in the last three years.

Svitolina snuffed out any Halep hope of a comeback today.

Some fans were chanting "See-Mona! See-Mona!" trying to rouse the Romanian as Svitolina stepped up to serve for her 12th career championship.

Svitolina silenced the crowd and Halep sliding a forehand off the line for double championship point.




On her second championship, Svitolina sealed her second straight Rome title when a weary Halep poked a backhand into the middle of the net.

Bouncing up and down off the red clay in elation, Svitolina performed like a woman prepared to take a major leap and win her first Grand Slam title.

Asked if she's looking forward to a rematch with Halep in the Roland Garros final, Svitolina replied: "It's still so far. I try to take one match at a time. In a Grand Slam it's very tricky, so we'll see how it goes. I'm definitely going to enjoy Roland Garros on a high note."

 

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