SUBSCRIBE TO NEWSLETTER!
 
 
Facebook Social Button Twitter Social Button Follow Us on InstagramYouTube Social Button
NewsScoresRankingsLucky Letcord PodcastShopPro GearPickleballGear Sale


By Chris Oddo | @TheFanChild | Thursday May 26, 2022

 
INSERT IMAGE ALT TAGS HERE

"I lost it...and I didn't have the control of my body that well," Simona Halep said of the panic attack she suffered on court.

Photo credit: Getty

Paris—Simona Halep never made any secrets about her desire to perform at her best in Paris.

The 2018 champion wasn’t able to play the event in 2021 due to her calf injury, so she was extra motivated to make a dent in the draw this year.

More: Shapovalov Calls Double Fault on ATP and Wimbledon

But those hopes fell by the wayside on Thursday as Halep suffered panic attacks and went down to hard-hitting Chinese Zheng Qinwen, 2-6, 6-2, 6-1 on Court Simonne-Mathieu.

The panic attacks came as a big surprise to Halep, who told reporters she had never experienced them before.

“I didn't know how to handle it, because I don't have it often,” Halep said. “Yeah, I don't really know why it happened, because I was leading the match. I was playing well. But it just happened, and as I said, I lost it. I couldn't focus. After the match, was pretty tough. But now I'm good. I'm recovered, and I will learn from this episode.

Nothing like dangerous, in my opinion, but it happened. So it's good that now I can smile.


Halep fails to reach the third round at Paris for the first time since 2015, but she vows not to give up on herself.

“I know it's like a clichĂ©, but it's a new day, and I'll wake up motivated to keep working,” she said. “Next tournament, I will have another chance, so I'm not giving up just because of today. I'm just happy to be good now, and to be able to play.”

And the bright side? At least there were no injuries.

“So no injury, which is really good. I struggled with injuries, so now I'm in a good place,” she said.



Zheng Impresses

The form of the 19-year-old Chinese should not be overlooked. She hit heavy, thundering groundstrokes against Halep, defended the court well, and never looked back once she moved ahead in the third set.

She finished with 28 winners against just nine for Halep, and dominated the short points, winning 16 of 19 such points in the third set.

Zheng lost to Halep in straight sets in Melbourne this year, but the 74th-ranked teenager took good notes, and made the most of her follow-up examination on Thursday.

“In that match I learned a lot, that she was very consistent player and in that moment I wasn't have too much patience on court, so this time I tried to stay with her more on court, trying to be more patient, find the chance to win the rally, and that's what I learned,” she said. “So I'm glad that I can perform on court today and that's how I get the win.”

Zheng, who is playing just her second Grand Slam main draw, will face Alizé Cornet, who beat former champion Jelena Ostapenko, in the third round.

<.

 

Latest News