By Chris Oddo | @TheFanChild | Friday January 7, 2021
Simona Halep eased past 19-year-old qualifier Zheng Qinwen to reach the final in Melbourne.
Photo Source: Getty
Simona Halep has announced her intention to return to the WTA’s Top-10 by the end of the season, and the 30-year-old Romanian appears to be well on her way. The 20th-ranked two-time Grand Slam champion won for the fourth consecutive time this week, taking down 19-year-old Zheng Qinwen to set a final with Russia’s Veronika Kudermetova.
Halep could have potentially faced top-seeded Naomi Osaka, but the Japanese star was forced to pull out with an abdomen injury. She believes she will be more than fine for the Australian Open, which begins on January 17 in Melbourne.
“Sad to withdraw due to injury from my match today, my body got a shock from playing back to back intense matches after the break I took,” Osaka said on social media. “Thank you for all the love this past week I’ll try to rest up and I’ll see you soon!”
Halep will bid for her 23rd career title on Sunday in Melbourne. She is currently playing at her lowest ranking since 2013, when she was as low as 47 in the world, but has her sights set on pushing back up the rankings in the weeks and months to come.
“I embrace it,” she said of the challenge. “I like the challenge. I like the pressure. Yeah, it's good that I have a restart, refresh in my mind. Of course it's not what I wanted, but I was injured so I couldn't play. That's where I'm where I am. It's not because I played bad and I couldn't win matches. It's because I didn't play, I couldn't play.
“I feel like it's possible to get back to top 10. I have that confidence. But I know it's very difficult. I have just to put hard work and to trust.”
24-year-old Kudermetova, the current World No.31, is bidding for her second career title. She claimed the trophy last year in Charleston. Kudermetova lost both of her meetings with Halep in 2021, once at the Australian Open and the second time at Moscow, both in straight sets.