By Chris Oddo | @TheFanChild | Tuesday March 19, 2024
Simona Halep's long awaited return to the WTA Tour ended in defeat at the hands of Paula Badosa on Tuesday in Miami.
Photo Source: Getty
By Chris Oddo | @TheFanChild | Tuesday March 19, 2024
Simona Halep’s comeback to the WTA Tour after a nine-month doping ban has been stopped at the first hurdle by Paula Badosa.
The world No.80 from Spain rallied from a set down to stop the Romanian wild card on Tuesday afternoon at the Miami Open, 1-6, 6-4, 6-3.
Afterward, the 32-year-old Halep said she was touched by the crowd support and glad to be back.
"Well, it felt really good. I had emotions, but positive emotions," Halep told the media in Miami afterward. "To see the crowd supporting me so nice gave me a lot of energy. The level of tennis was pretty good. Unexpected, I think, for most of the people.
"Yeah, at this high level, like Paula played, I think I did a good job today. So I'm happy with the first match coming back."
Former world No.1 Halep was playing her first match since the 2022 US Open first round.
Halep started well and quickly moved up by a double break on Badosa before clinching the first set.
The 26-year-old Badosa has battled injury in recent years. Former World No. 2 Badosa, pained by a stress fracture in her back since last season, picked up her game and took the play to Halep.
As her partner, Stefanos Tsitsipas, exhorted her on from the front row of the intimate Grandstand Court, Badosa earned her first career win over the two-time major champion in three tries.
Badosa claimed the second set after taking the lead with a break in the third game and holding the rest of the way.
In the third set the pair traded breaks to 2-2, but Badosa broke again, to take a 3-2 lead.
She never looked back, dropped just two points on serve the rest of the way and broke Halep at love to close out the victory in one hour and 59 minutes.
Badosa, now 5-5 on the season, is slated to face Aryna Sabalenka in the second round. The second-ranked Belarusian received tragic news on Monday, when her boyfriend Konstantin Koltsov was pronounced dead in Miami, reportedly from an apparent suicide.
According to Tennis Channel, Sabalenka was on the practice courts on Tuesday in Miami, and hasn’t yet withdrawn from the event.