Simona Halep
Encyclopedia
Simona Halep is a world top-50 tennis
player playing on the ITF Women's Circuit
and the WTA Tour
, and is currently the number-two ranked women's tennis player in Romania.
described her as "a scrappy player from Romania, short but with potent ground strokes and a scrambler’s talent." In a post-match interview Serena Williams
once commented that Halep "serves well [for] her height... She has so much power on her serve."
, then defeated Anastasia Pavlyuchenkova
in the quarterfinals at the Australian Open Junior Championships, before losing in the semifinal to Jessica Moore
.
At the ITF
$50,000 tournament in Bucharest, Halep eliminated former Roland Garros semi-finalist Sesil Karatantcheva
in the first round, before losing in the quarterfinals to Sorana Cîrstea
in three sets, 6–3, 3–6, 1–6.
She won a pair of junior events in May. First, she won the ITF
$10,000 tournament in Bucharest against Stéphanie Vongsouthi
by a score of 7–6, 6–3. That was followed by a victory in the finals at Trofeo Bonfiglio, winning over Bojana Jovanovski
by a score of 6–4, 6–1.
At the Roland Garros Junior Championships, she entered the main draw as the 9th seed. In the first round, she defeated Charlotte Rodier, 6–4, 6–1, and then Karen Barbat from Denmark, 6–3, 6–1. In the 3rd round, Halep won against 5th seed Jessica Moore
, 6–0, 6–1. In the quarterfinals, Simona beat 13th seed Ksenia Lykina
, 6–1, 6–2. In the semifinals, Halep defeated second seed Arantxa Rus
6–3, 7–5, and then won the all–Romanian final, 6–4, 6–7, 6–2 against 10th seed Elena Bogdan
.
of Croatia and an upset victory over Ksenia Pervak
. She defeated Anne Schaefer, 6–0, 6–0, and beat second seeded Arantxa Rus
with a 6–4, 7–6 win to advance to the final. However, Halep fell to the top seed Tatjana Malek
by a score of 6–1, 4–6, 6–4.
In May, she reached the quarterfinals at the Bucharest ITF
$100,000 tournament, losing to German Andrea Petkovic
6–2, 7–6. Later that month, she made her first attempt to qualify for a senior Grand Slam
tournament at Roland Garros. She defeated 17th seed Michaëlla Krajicek
, 6–4, 7–5 in her first match, but fell to Vitalia Diatchenko
, 2–6, 6–1, 6–3 in the following round.
In a bid to boost her game, Halep underwent breast reduction surgery in the summer of 2009, which reduced her cup size from 34DD to 34C.
In August, Halep won the $25,000 tournament in Maribor, defeating top seed Katalin Marosi
of Hungary in the final 6–4, 6–2.
of France 6–4, 4–6, 6–4 in the first round of qualifying.
She was as of April 5, 2010 ranked 166th in the world.
Her breakthrough on the WTA tour occurred during the 2010 Andalucia Tennis Experience
on the clay courts of Marbella
, Spain. As a qualifier, she advanced to the quarterfinals with wins over world #70 Iveta Benešová
and world #36 Sorana Cîrstea
. She then put up a fight against world No.16 Flavia Pennetta
, but was finally beaten by the No. 2 seed 6–4, 7–6.
Halep then qualified for the 2010 Barcelona Ladies Open
by winning 3 matches, but was defeated in the first round of the main draw by Carla Suárez Navarro
6–4, 3–6, 6–3.
Halep's impressive form continued into the 2010 Grand Prix SAR La Princesse Lalla Meryem
in Fes
. Seeded first in the qualifying round, she successfully qualified by defeating Nathalie Vierin
4–6, 6–1, 6–3 and Estrella Cabeza Candela
6–1, 6–1. In the first round she defeated No. 8 seed Lucie Hradecká
7–5, 6–1. In the second round she feated Olga Savchuk
6–3, 6–1 before causing a big upset in the quarter-finals where she defeated No. 2 seed and former top 10 player Patty Schnyder
6–2, 7–6. In the semi-final she defeated Renata Voráčová
7–5, 6–4 to advance to her first WTA Tour Tournament final. But she lost to Voráčová's Czech compatriot Iveta Benešová
4–6, 2–6 in final.
In May 2010 Halep qualified for the French Open, defeating Bethanie Mattek-Sands 6–4, 6–7, 6–4 in the final round of qualifying. She was defeated 7–5, 6–1 in the first round by seventh seed Samantha Stosur
.
In August 2010 Halep faced Jelena Janković
at the US Open in the first round. Halep had a chance to win an upset victory over Jankovic but was broken while serving for the set at 5–4 in the third. In the end, Jankovic won 6–4, 4–6, 7–5.
defeating Ayumi Morita
and Elena Vesnina
, but losing to the second seed, Yanina Wickmayer
. She would go then to the 2011 Moorilla Hobart International
but she would lose in the third qualifying round, in a decisive set against Magdaléna Rybáriková
.
At the 2011 Australian Open
, Halep qualified for the first time in her career in the third round of a tennis Grand Slam
on seniors, beating the 24th seed Alisa Kleybanova
6–4, 7–6 before losing in straight sets to the 12th seed Agnieszka Radwańska
and not progressing to the fourth round. In April at the 2010 Grand Prix SAR La Princesse Lalla Meryem
, she repeated her prior year's accomplishment of reaching the finals but lost to Alberta Brianti
3–6, 4–6.
At the 2011 Estoril Open
, she was defeated in the first round by the eventual champion Anabel Medina Garrigues
6–7, 6–7.
At the 2011 French Open
, Halep beat Alla Kudryavtseva
6–2, 6–1, then lost 0–6, 2–6 to 8th seed Samantha Stosur
in the second round.
In the 2011 Wimbledon Championships
, Halep defeated Bojana Jovanovski
6–1, 6–2 before falling to 7th seed Serena Williams
6–3, 2–6, 1–6 in the second round.
For the 2011 BCR Open Romania Ladies
, Halep was top seeded and progressed to the semi-finals, defeating Maša Zec Peškirič
, Lenka Juríková
and Alexandra Cadanţu
en route. However, she lost to Laura Pous Tió
in the semi-finals 0–6, 0–3.
Halep qualified for the main draw at the 2011 Rogers Cup
in Toronto but drew 12th-seeded (and 15th-ranked) Svetlana Kuznetsova
as her first opponent. After dropping the first set, Halep came back to win 4–6, 6–4, 6–3 in a 2:14 long match that saw Kuznetsova make 50 unforced errors. It was Halep's first victory over a top-20 ranked player. She lost to Lucie Safarova
in the second round 2–6, 4–6.
At the 2011 US Open
, Halep was placed in the main draw but drew Li Na
in the first round. Despite playing with an ankle sprain she had suffered in Toronto earlier in the month, Halep defeated the 6th-seeded Li 6–2, 7–5 in a match that saw Li make 54 unforced errors to Halep's 19. It was Halep's first win over a top-10 ranked player. She lost in the second round to Carla Suarez Navarro
3–6, 6–2, 6–2.
In October at the BGL Luxembourg Open
, Halep faced Kimiko Date Krumm in the first round and defeated the former fourth-ranked world player 6-4, 7-5. She fell in the second round to Anastasija Sevastova
6-2, 6-2
Tennis
Tennis is a sport usually played between two players or between two teams of two players each . Each player uses a racket that is strung to strike a hollow rubber ball covered with felt over a net into the opponent's court. Tennis is an Olympic sport and is played at all levels of society at all...
player playing on the ITF Women's Circuit
ITF Women's Circuit
The ITF Women's Circuit is a series of professional tennis tournaments run by the International Tennis Federation for female professional tennis players. It serves as the developmental circuit for the WTA Tour, which is run by the independent Women's Tennis Association...
and the WTA Tour
Women's Tennis Association
The Women's Tennis Association , founded in 1973 by Billie Jean King, is the principal organizing body of Women's Professional Tennis. It governs the WTA Tour which is the worldwide professional tennis tour for women. Its counterpart organization in the men's professional game is the Association of...
, and is currently the number-two ranked women's tennis player in Romania.
Career
Halep's father Stere runs a cheese and milk factory. She started playing tennis at age four, in emulation of her older brother. She has self-described her playing style as being "an aggressive baseliner," while New York Times columnist Michael KimmelmanMichael Kimmelman
Michael Kimmelman is an author, critic, columnist and pianist. He is the chief architecture critic for The New York Times and written on issues of public housing, community development and social responsibility. He was the paper's longtime chief art critic and, in 2007, created the Abroad column,...
described her as "a scrappy player from Romania, short but with potent ground strokes and a scrambler’s talent." In a post-match interview Serena Williams
Serena Williams
Serena Jameka Williams is an American professional tennis player and a former world no. 1. The Women's Tennis Association has ranked her world no. 1 in singles on five separate occasions. She became the world no. 1 for the first time on July 8, 2002 and regained this ranking for the fifth time on...
once commented that Halep "serves well [for] her height... She has so much power on her serve."
2008
She started the year with a final in Nottinghill, losing to Arantxa RusArantxa Rus
Arantxa Rus is a Dutch female tennis player. In 2008 she won the Australian Open for juniors, defeating Jessica Moore from Australia. Because of this win she went from 35th to 2nd place on the junior tennis list, but soon she became new junior No.1 player...
, then defeated Anastasia Pavlyuchenkova
Anastasia Pavlyuchenkova
Anastasia Sergeyevna Pavlyuchenkova is a Russian professional tennis player and a multiple junior Grand Slam champion. Her career-high rank of World No. 13 was achieved on 4 July 2011. From July 2007 to September 2009 she was coached at the Mouratoglou Tennis Academy in France...
in the quarterfinals at the Australian Open Junior Championships, before losing in the semifinal to Jessica Moore
Jessica Moore (tennis)
Jessica Moore is an Australian professional tennis player. Formerly coached by Milo Bradley, Moore works with the Australian Institute of Sport. Her preferred surface is grass.-Career:...
.
At the ITF
International Tennis Federation
The International Tennis Federation is the governing body of world tennis, made up of 205 national tennis associations.It was established as the International Lawn Tennis Federation by 12 national associations meeting at a conference in Paris, France on 1 March 1913...
$50,000 tournament in Bucharest, Halep eliminated former Roland Garros semi-finalist Sesil Karatantcheva
Sesil Karatantcheva
Sesil Karatantcheva is a Bulgarian-born Kazakhstani tennis player. Karatantcheva played for Bulgaria until February 2, 2009, when she changed nationality. She will play for Kazakhstan until at least 2012....
in the first round, before losing in the quarterfinals to Sorana Cîrstea
Sorana Cîrstea
Sorana Mihaela Cîrstea, is a Romanian tennis player. Her career high rank was World No. 23, achieved on 17 August 2009, after she reached the quarterfinals of the 2009 French Open and the semifinals of the 2009 Los Angeles Open.- Playing style :...
in three sets, 6–3, 3–6, 1–6.
She won a pair of junior events in May. First, she won the ITF
International Tennis Federation
The International Tennis Federation is the governing body of world tennis, made up of 205 national tennis associations.It was established as the International Lawn Tennis Federation by 12 national associations meeting at a conference in Paris, France on 1 March 1913...
$10,000 tournament in Bucharest against Stéphanie Vongsouthi
Stephanie Vongsouthi
Stephanie Vongsouthi is a French tennis player.-2005:Vongsouthi played her first ever professional match on the clay at Amiens in France, at the age of 16. She lost a close match to compatriot Laurene Fayol, 5-7, 7-5, 6-4. She left Amiens with her first prize money of $98. Vongsouthi's first...
by a score of 7–6, 6–3. That was followed by a victory in the finals at Trofeo Bonfiglio, winning over Bojana Jovanovski
Bojana Jovanovski
Bojana Jovanovski is a Serbian tennis player. As of 24 October 2011, Jovanovski is ranked World No. 56 and is the third highest ranked Serbian player, after World No. 14 Jelena Janković and No. 26 Ana Ivanović...
by a score of 6–4, 6–1.
At the Roland Garros Junior Championships, she entered the main draw as the 9th seed. In the first round, she defeated Charlotte Rodier, 6–4, 6–1, and then Karen Barbat from Denmark, 6–3, 6–1. In the 3rd round, Halep won against 5th seed Jessica Moore
Jessica Moore (tennis)
Jessica Moore is an Australian professional tennis player. Formerly coached by Milo Bradley, Moore works with the Australian Institute of Sport. Her preferred surface is grass.-Career:...
, 6–0, 6–1. In the quarterfinals, Simona beat 13th seed Ksenia Lykina
Ksenia Lykina
Ksenia Lykina is a professional Russian tennis player. Her highest WTA singles ranking is 171, which she reached on April 19, 2010. Her career high in doubles is 217, which she reached on February 22, 2010....
, 6–1, 6–2. In the semifinals, Halep defeated second seed Arantxa Rus
Arantxa Rus
Arantxa Rus is a Dutch female tennis player. In 2008 she won the Australian Open for juniors, defeating Jessica Moore from Australia. Because of this win she went from 35th to 2nd place on the junior tennis list, but soon she became new junior No.1 player...
6–3, 7–5, and then won the all–Romanian final, 6–4, 6–7, 6–2 against 10th seed Elena Bogdan
Elena Bogdan
Elena Bogdan is a Romanian professional tennis player. Her highest WTA singles ranking was 155, which she reached on July 4, 2011 whilst her best doubles ranking was 107 on June 13, 2011...
.
2009
At the $50,000 tournament in Makarska, Halep began her campaign with wins over Ana VrljićAna Vrljić
Ana Vrljić is a professional Croatian tennis player playing in the ITF Women's Circuit. On July 21, 2008, she reached her highest WTA singles ranking of 191. She started playing tennis at the age of 4. She made it to the Quarterfinals of the 2010 Swedish Open defeating Angelique Kerber and Arantxa...
of Croatia and an upset victory over Ksenia Pervak
Ksenia Pervak
Ksenia Yuryevna Pervak is a professional left-handed Russian tennis player. Her highest WTA singles ranking is 37th, which she reached on 19 September 2011...
. She defeated Anne Schaefer, 6–0, 6–0, and beat second seeded Arantxa Rus
Arantxa Rus
Arantxa Rus is a Dutch female tennis player. In 2008 she won the Australian Open for juniors, defeating Jessica Moore from Australia. Because of this win she went from 35th to 2nd place on the junior tennis list, but soon she became new junior No.1 player...
with a 6–4, 7–6 win to advance to the final. However, Halep fell to the top seed Tatjana Malek
Tatjana Malek
Tatjana Malek is a professional German tennis player. She achieved her highest singles ranking of World No. 64 on 14 September 2009. Her highest doubles ranking of World No. 73 came on 3 May 2010. Malek has won 8 ITF singles titles and 7 ITF doubles title but no WTA tour singles or doubles titles...
by a score of 6–1, 4–6, 6–4.
In May, she reached the quarterfinals at the Bucharest ITF
International Tennis Federation
The International Tennis Federation is the governing body of world tennis, made up of 205 national tennis associations.It was established as the International Lawn Tennis Federation by 12 national associations meeting at a conference in Paris, France on 1 March 1913...
$100,000 tournament, losing to German Andrea Petkovic
Andrea Petkovic
Andrea Petkovic is a professional German tennis player of Serbian origin. She is the highest ranked German tennis player. She lives in Griesheim near Darmstadt, Germany....
6–2, 7–6. Later that month, she made her first attempt to qualify for a senior Grand Slam
Grand Slam (tennis)
The four Major tennis tournaments, also called the Slams, are the most important tennis events of the year in terms of world tour ranking points, tradition, prize-money awarded, strength and size of player field, and public attention. They are the Australian Open, the French Open, Wimbledon, and...
tournament at Roland Garros. She defeated 17th seed Michaëlla Krajicek
Michaëlla Krajicek
Michaëlla Krajicek is a Dutch professional tennis player. Her highest WTA ranking was number 30 on 11 February 2008. She currently is the second best ranked player from the Netherlands behind Arantxa Rus.-Personal life:...
, 6–4, 7–5 in her first match, but fell to Vitalia Diatchenko
Vitalia Diatchenko
Vitalia Diatchenko is a professional Russian tennis player. Her highest WTA singles ranking is No. 105, which she reached on July 27, 2009. Her career high in doubles is No. 60, which she reached on February 21, 2011.-Career highlights:...
, 2–6, 6–1, 6–3 in the following round.
In a bid to boost her game, Halep underwent breast reduction surgery in the summer of 2009, which reduced her cup size from 34DD to 34C.
In August, Halep won the $25,000 tournament in Maribor, defeating top seed Katalin Marosi
Katalin Marosi
Katalin Marosi is a professional tennis player from Hungary. Marosi has won 16 ITF Circuit Singles titles and 27 doubles titles...
of Hungary in the final 6–4, 6–2.
2010
In January she entered the Australian Open, but lost to Stéphanie ForetzStéphanie Foretz
Stéphanie Foretz Gacon is a professional female tennis player from France...
of France 6–4, 4–6, 6–4 in the first round of qualifying.
She was as of April 5, 2010 ranked 166th in the world.
Her breakthrough on the WTA tour occurred during the 2010 Andalucia Tennis Experience
2010 Andalucia Tennis Experience
The 2010 Andalucia Tennis Experience was a tennis tournament played on outdoor clay courts. It was the 2nd edition of the Andalucia Tennis Experience, and an International-level tournament of the 2010 WTA Tour...
on the clay courts of Marbella
Marbella
Marbella is a town in Andalusia, Spain. It is situated on the Mediterranean Sea, in the province of Málaga, beneath the La Concha mountain. In 2000 the city had 98,823 inhabitants, in 2004, 116,234, in 2010 approximately 135,000....
, Spain. As a qualifier, she advanced to the quarterfinals with wins over world #70 Iveta Benešová
Iveta Benešová
Iveta Benešová is a professional tennis player. She began playing tennis at age of 7 and turned professional in 1998 in Prague. She has won two WTA Tour events and one Grand Slam in mixed doubles partnering with Jürgen Melzer at the 2011 Wimbledon Championships.-2006–2008:In the 2006 Australian...
and world #36 Sorana Cîrstea
Sorana Cîrstea
Sorana Mihaela Cîrstea, is a Romanian tennis player. Her career high rank was World No. 23, achieved on 17 August 2009, after she reached the quarterfinals of the 2009 French Open and the semifinals of the 2009 Los Angeles Open.- Playing style :...
. She then put up a fight against world No.16 Flavia Pennetta
Flavia Pennetta
Flavia Pennetta is an Italian professional tennis player. She became Italy's first top 10 female singles player on 17 August 2009 and also the first ever Italian Tennis player to be ranked No.1 in Doubles on 28 February 2011. As of 10 October 2011, Pennetta is ranked World No. 18 in singles and...
, but was finally beaten by the No. 2 seed 6–4, 7–6.
Halep then qualified for the 2010 Barcelona Ladies Open
2010 Barcelona Ladies Open
The 2010 Barcelona Ladies Open was a tennis tournament played on outdoor clay courts. It was the 4th edition of the Barcelona Ladies Open, and an International-level tournament on the 2010 WTA Tour...
by winning 3 matches, but was defeated in the first round of the main draw by Carla Suárez Navarro
Carla Suarez Navarro
Carla Suárez Navarro is a Spanish tennis player. She began playing for Spain in the 2008 Fed Cup. On May 18, 2009, she reached her career high ranking at World No. 22.-2008:...
6–4, 3–6, 6–3.
Halep's impressive form continued into the 2010 Grand Prix SAR La Princesse Lalla Meryem
2010 Grand Prix SAR La Princesse Lalla Meryem
The 2010 Grand Prix SAR La Princesse Lalla Meryem was a tennis tournament played on outdoor clay courts. It was the 10th edition of the Grand Prix SAR La Princesse Lalla Meryem, and was on the International category of the 2010 WTA Tour...
in Fes
Fes
Fes or Fez is the second largest city of Morocco, after Casablanca, with a population of approximately 1 million . It is the capital of the Fès-Boulemane region....
. Seeded first in the qualifying round, she successfully qualified by defeating Nathalie Vierin
Nathalie Vierin
Nathalie Vierin is an Italian professional tennis player. Her career high WTA singles ranking is 103, which she reached on May 15, 2006...
4–6, 6–1, 6–3 and Estrella Cabeza Candela
Estrella Cabeza Candela
Estrella Cabeza Candela is a Spanish professional tennis player. On 6 April 2009 she reached her highest world single ranking, number 167. As of 21 March 2011 she is number 268.-External links:...
6–1, 6–1. In the first round she defeated No. 8 seed Lucie Hradecká
Lucie Hradecká
Lucie Hradecká is a professional tennis player from the Czech Republic. In her career, Hradecká has won ten WTA doubles titles. This total includes the 2011 French Open, in which she won her first Grand Slam title.-Career:...
7–5, 6–1. In the second round she feated Olga Savchuk
Olga Savchuk
Olga Savchuk is a female tennis player. Her best accomplishment to date was reaching the third round of the 2006 Australian Open. Her career high ranking was #79, achieved on May 19, 2008....
6–3, 6–1 before causing a big upset in the quarter-finals where she defeated No. 2 seed and former top 10 player Patty Schnyder
Patty Schnyder
Patty Schnyder is a retired Swiss professional tennis player. She played on the WTA tour from 1993 to 2011 and is a former World No. 7. She defeated several World No...
6–2, 7–6. In the semi-final she defeated Renata Voráčová
Renata Vorácová
Renata Voráčová is a professional female tennis player from the Czech Republic. Her career high singles ranking is No...
7–5, 6–4 to advance to her first WTA Tour Tournament final. But she lost to Voráčová's Czech compatriot Iveta Benešová
Iveta Benešová
Iveta Benešová is a professional tennis player. She began playing tennis at age of 7 and turned professional in 1998 in Prague. She has won two WTA Tour events and one Grand Slam in mixed doubles partnering with Jürgen Melzer at the 2011 Wimbledon Championships.-2006–2008:In the 2006 Australian...
4–6, 2–6 in final.
In May 2010 Halep qualified for the French Open, defeating Bethanie Mattek-Sands 6–4, 6–7, 6–4 in the final round of qualifying. She was defeated 7–5, 6–1 in the first round by seventh seed Samantha Stosur
Samantha Stosur
Samantha "Sam" Jane Stosur is an Australian professional tennis player. She won the 2011 US Open singles title and was a finalist at the 2010 French Open. Stosur is ranked World No. 6 and her career high in singles is World No. 4, achieved on 21 February 2011. She is a former world No...
.
In August 2010 Halep faced Jelena Janković
Jelena Janković
Jelena Janković is a former world no. 1 professional tennis player from Serbia. She reached the final of the 2008 US Open and won the 2007 Wimbledon Mixed Doubles title. Janković is ranked world no...
at the US Open in the first round. Halep had a chance to win an upset victory over Jankovic but was broken while serving for the set at 5–4 in the third. In the end, Jankovic won 6–4, 4–6, 7–5.
2011
In January, she reached the quarterfinals in the 2011 ASB Classic2011 ASB Classic
The 2011 ASB Classic was a tennis tournament played on outdoor hard courts. It was the 26th edition of the ASB Classic, and was part of the WTA International tournaments of the 2011 WTA Tour...
defeating Ayumi Morita
Ayumi Morita
is a Japanese female tennis player. She reached her career-high ranking of 42nd in the world on June 6, 2011 and is currently the highest ranked Japanese player in the world at World No. 46, the seventh overall in Asia. At Junior level, she reached a career high ranking of No. 3.Morita is known for...
and Elena Vesnina
Elena Vesnina
Elena Sergeevna Vesnina is a professional female tennis player from Russia. Her career high rank was #22, achieved on 12 October 2009...
, but losing to the second seed, Yanina Wickmayer
Yanina Wickmayer
Yanina Wickmayer is a Belgian professional tennis player who is currently ranked world no. 22 and is the second-highest ranked female Belgian tennis player. She reached her career-high ranking of world no. 12 on 19 April 2010...
. She would go then to the 2011 Moorilla Hobart International
2011 Moorilla Hobart International
The 2011 Moorilla Hobart International was a tennis tournament played on outdoor hard courts. It was the 18th edition of the event and was part of the WTA International tournaments of the 2011 WTA Tour...
but she would lose in the third qualifying round, in a decisive set against Magdaléna Rybáriková
Magdaléna Rybáriková
Magdaléna Rybáriková is a Slovak professional tennis player. On June 22, 2009, she achieved her career-high WTA singles ranking of 40th.-Biography:...
.
At the 2011 Australian Open
2011 Australian Open
The 2011 Australian Open was a tennis tournament featuring six different competitions, and part of the 2011 ATP World Tour, the 2011 WTA Tour, ITF Junior Tour and the NEC Tour, as tournaments for professional, junior and wheelchair players were held...
, Halep qualified for the first time in her career in the third round of a tennis Grand Slam
Grand Slam (tennis)
The four Major tennis tournaments, also called the Slams, are the most important tennis events of the year in terms of world tour ranking points, tradition, prize-money awarded, strength and size of player field, and public attention. They are the Australian Open, the French Open, Wimbledon, and...
on seniors, beating the 24th seed Alisa Kleybanova
Alisa Kleybanova
Alisa Mikhaelovna Kleybanova is a Russian professional tennis player. Her highest WTA world ranking to date is No. 20, achieved on February 21, 2010...
6–4, 7–6 before losing in straight sets to the 12th seed Agnieszka Radwańska
Agnieszka Radwanska
Agnieszka Radwańska is a WTA Tour Polish tennis player.Her career high singles ranking is World No. 8, which she achieved on 22 February 2010. As of 24 October 2011, she is ranked World No. 8. In 2007, Radwańska became the first Polish player in history to claim a WTA Tour singles title when she...
and not progressing to the fourth round. In April at the 2010 Grand Prix SAR La Princesse Lalla Meryem
2010 Grand Prix SAR La Princesse Lalla Meryem
The 2010 Grand Prix SAR La Princesse Lalla Meryem was a tennis tournament played on outdoor clay courts. It was the 10th edition of the Grand Prix SAR La Princesse Lalla Meryem, and was on the International category of the 2010 WTA Tour...
, she repeated her prior year's accomplishment of reaching the finals but lost to Alberta Brianti
Alberta Brianti
Alberta Brianti is a professional female tennis player from Italy.On June 13, 2011, Brianti achieved her career-high singles ranking of 55...
3–6, 4–6.
At the 2011 Estoril Open
2011 Estoril Open
The 2011 Estoril Open was a tennis tournament played on outdoor clay courts. It was the 22nd edition of the Estoril Open, and was part of the ATP World Tour 250 series of the 2011 ATP World Tour, and of the International-level tournaments of the 2011 WTA Tour...
, she was defeated in the first round by the eventual champion Anabel Medina Garrigues
Anabel Medina Garrigues
Ana Isabel Medina Garrigues , better known as Anabel Medina, is a Spanish female tennis player. She reached a career high WTA Tour ranking of No. 16 on 4 May 2009, and has won 11 singles titles and 14 doubles titles, including the 2008 French Open and 2009 French Open with Virginia Ruano Pascual...
6–7, 6–7.
At the 2011 French Open
2011 French Open
The 2011 French Open was a tennis tournament played on outdoor clay courts. It was the 110th edition of the French Open, and the second Grand Slam event of the year...
, Halep beat Alla Kudryavtseva
Alla Kudryavtseva
Alla Alexandrovna Kudryavtseva is a professional tennis player from Russia. She currently lives in Moscow, where she is coached by Nick Rybakov...
6–2, 6–1, then lost 0–6, 2–6 to 8th seed Samantha Stosur
Samantha Stosur
Samantha "Sam" Jane Stosur is an Australian professional tennis player. She won the 2011 US Open singles title and was a finalist at the 2010 French Open. Stosur is ranked World No. 6 and her career high in singles is World No. 4, achieved on 21 February 2011. She is a former world No...
in the second round.
In the 2011 Wimbledon Championships
2011 Wimbledon Championships
The 2011 Wimbledon Championships took place at the All England Lawn Tennis and Croquet Club in Wimbledon, London, England, from 20 June to 3 July 2011. It was the 125th edition of the championships, and the third Grand Slam tournament of the year. It was played on grass courts and was part of the...
, Halep defeated Bojana Jovanovski
Bojana Jovanovski
Bojana Jovanovski is a Serbian tennis player. As of 24 October 2011, Jovanovski is ranked World No. 56 and is the third highest ranked Serbian player, after World No. 14 Jelena Janković and No. 26 Ana Ivanović...
6–1, 6–2 before falling to 7th seed Serena Williams
Serena Williams
Serena Jameka Williams is an American professional tennis player and a former world no. 1. The Women's Tennis Association has ranked her world no. 1 in singles on five separate occasions. She became the world no. 1 for the first time on July 8, 2002 and regained this ranking for the fifth time on...
6–3, 2–6, 1–6 in the second round.
For the 2011 BCR Open Romania Ladies
2011 BCR Open Romania Ladies
The 2011 BCR Open Romania Ladies was a professional tennis tournament played on outdoor clay courts. It was the 5th edition of the tournament which was part of the 2011 ITF Women's Circuit...
, Halep was top seeded and progressed to the semi-finals, defeating Maša Zec Peškirič
Masa Zec Peskiric
Maša Zec Peškirič is a professional Slovenian tennis player. Her highest WTA singles ranking is No. 93, which she reached on June 15, 2009. Her career high in doubles is No...
, Lenka Juríková
Lenka Juríková
Lenka Juríková is a professional Slovak tennis player playing in the ITF Women's Circuit. On August 17, 2009, she reached her highest WTA singles ranking of 263. She is coached by Peter Jurík her father.-External links:...
and Alexandra Cadanţu
Alexandra Cadanţu
Alexandra Cadanțu is a professional Romanian tennis player playing in the ITF Women's Circuit. On October 3, 2011, she reached her highest WTA singles ranking of 102. Her highest doubles ranking was nr. 207 on October 3, 2011...
en route. However, she lost to Laura Pous Tió
Laura Pous Tio
Laura Pous Tio is a professional female tennis player from Spain. She won the gold medal at the 2005 Mediterranean Games by defeating compatriot Nuria Llagostera Vives. Pous Tio reached her career high of No. 73 on the WTA tour in July 2011.-Grand Slam Singles performance timeline:-External links:...
in the semi-finals 0–6, 0–3.
Halep qualified for the main draw at the 2011 Rogers Cup
2011 Rogers Cup – Women's Singles
Caroline Wozniacki was the defending champion, but lost to Roberta Vinci in the second round. Serena Williams won the title by beating Samantha Stosur 6–4, 6–2 in the final.-Seeds:The top eight seeds receive a bye into the second round....
in Toronto but drew 12th-seeded (and 15th-ranked) Svetlana Kuznetsova
Svetlana Kuznetsova
Svetlana Aleksandrovna Kuznetsova ; born June 27, 1985) is a Russian professional tennis player and as of October 10, 2011 ranked No. 21 in the WTA singles and No. 90 in the doubles ranking. Kuznetsova has appeared in four singles Grand Slam finals, winning two, and has also appeared in six doubles...
as her first opponent. After dropping the first set, Halep came back to win 4–6, 6–4, 6–3 in a 2:14 long match that saw Kuznetsova make 50 unforced errors. It was Halep's first victory over a top-20 ranked player. She lost to Lucie Safarova
Lucie Šafárová
Lucie Šafářová is a professional Czech tennis player. She was born in Brno.Šafářová has won four WTA tour singles titles and reached the quarterfinals of the 2007 Australian Open, upsetting defending champion Amélie Mauresmo en-route...
in the second round 2–6, 4–6.
At the 2011 US Open
2011 US Open – Women's Singles
Kim Clijsters was the two-time defending champion, but withdrew due to an abdominal injury.Ninth seed Samantha Stosur won her first Grand Slam championship, defeating the favourite Serena Williams, a three-time US Open champion and the 28th seed, 6–2, 6–3 in the final...
, Halep was placed in the main draw but drew Li Na
Li Na (tennis)
Li Na , goes first before the equivalent of a first name in some other nations. Her name off court in China is Li Na. When listed on the , she is known as Na Li. However, in the match, the commentators call her Li Na, and when her full name is listed in text on court, it is also written as Li Na.;...
in the first round. Despite playing with an ankle sprain she had suffered in Toronto earlier in the month, Halep defeated the 6th-seeded Li 6–2, 7–5 in a match that saw Li make 54 unforced errors to Halep's 19. It was Halep's first win over a top-10 ranked player. She lost in the second round to Carla Suarez Navarro
Carla Suarez Navarro
Carla Suárez Navarro is a Spanish tennis player. She began playing for Spain in the 2008 Fed Cup. On May 18, 2009, she reached her career high ranking at World No. 22.-2008:...
3–6, 6–2, 6–2.
In October at the BGL Luxembourg Open
2011 BGL Luxembourg Open – Singles
Roberta Vinci was the defending champion, but chose to compete at the Kremlin Cup instead.First Seed Victoria Azarenka won the tournament beating unseeded Monica Niculescu in the final, 6–2, 6–2.-Seeds:# Victoria Azarenka ...
, Halep faced Kimiko Date Krumm in the first round and defeated the former fourth-ranked world player 6-4, 7-5. She fell in the second round to Anastasija Sevastova
Anastasija Sevastova
Anastasija Sevastova is a Latvian tennis player. On January 31, 2011, she achieved her career-high WTA singles ranking of No. 36. On August 31, 2009, she claimed her highest Doubles rank of No. 195...
6-2, 6-2
Singles: 2 (0-2)
| Legend: Before 2009 | Legend: Starting in 2009 |
|---|---|
| Grand Slam Grand Slam (tennis) The four Major tennis tournaments, also called the Slams, are the most important tennis events of the year in terms of world tour ranking points, tradition, prize-money awarded, strength and size of player field, and public attention. They are the Australian Open, the French Open, Wimbledon, and... tournaments (0) |
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| WTA Championships (0) | |
| Tier I (0) | Premier Mandatory (0) |
| Tier II (0) | Premier 5 (0) |
| Tier III (0) | Premier (0) |
| Tier IV & V (0) | International (0/2) |
| Finals by surface |
|---|
| Hard (0–0) |
| Grass (0–0) |
| Clay (0–2) |
| Carpet (0–0) |
| Outcome | No. | Date | Tournament | Surface | Opponent in the final | Score in the final |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Runner-up | 1. | 1 May 2010 |  FesGrand Prix SAR La Princesse Lalla Meryem The Grand Prix SAR La Princesse Lalla Meryem is a women's professional tennis tournament held in Fes, Morocco. This WTA Tour event is classified as an International tournament and is played on outdoor clay courts. It is the only WTA tournament held in Africa.... , Morocco |
Clay |  Iveta BenešováIveta Benešová Iveta Benešová is a professional tennis player. She began playing tennis at age of 7 and turned professional in 1998 in Prague. She has won two WTA Tour events and one Grand Slam in mixed doubles partnering with Jürgen Melzer at the 2011 Wimbledon Championships.-2006–2008:In the 2006 Australian... |
4–6, 2–6 |
| Runner-up | 2. | 24 April 2011 | Fes Grand Prix SAR La Princesse Lalla Meryem The Grand Prix SAR La Princesse Lalla Meryem is a women's professional tennis tournament held in Fes, Morocco. This WTA Tour event is classified as an International tournament and is played on outdoor clay courts. It is the only WTA tournament held in Africa.... , Morocco |
Clay |  Alberta BriantiAlberta Brianti Alberta Brianti is a professional female tennis player from Italy.On June 13, 2011, Brianti achieved her career-high singles ranking of 55... |
4–6, 3–6 |
ITF Circuit singles: 8 (6–2)
| $50,000 to $100,000 (0–2) |
| $10,000 to $25,000 (6–0) |
| Outcome | No. | Date | Tournament | Surface | Opponent in the final | Score in the final |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Winner | 1. | 6 May 2007 | Bucharest Bucharest Bucharest is the capital municipality, cultural, industrial, and financial centre of Romania. It is the largest city in Romania, located in the southeast of the country, at , and lies on the banks of the Dâmbovița River.... , Romania |
Clay |  Cristina MituCristina Mitu Cristina-Andreea Mitu is a professional Romanian tennis player playing in the ITF Women's Circuit. On November 22, 2010, she reached her highest WTA singles ranking of 431. She is coached by Adi Avram and Manu Nicolae.... |
7–6(7–5), 6–0 |
| Winner | 2. | 13 May 2007 | Bucharest Bucharest Bucharest is the capital municipality, cultural, industrial, and financial centre of Romania. It is the largest city in Romania, located in the southeast of the country, at , and lies on the banks of the Dâmbovița River.... , Romania |
Clay |  Patricia MayrPatricia Mayr Patricia Mayr-Achleitner is a professional Austrian tennis player. Her highest WTA singles ranking is 70th, which she reached on May 4, 2009... |
6–3, 3–6, 6–2 |
| Winner | 3. | 4 May 2008 | Bucharest Bucharest Bucharest is the capital municipality, cultural, industrial, and financial centre of Romania. It is the largest city in Romania, located in the southeast of the country, at , and lies on the banks of the Dâmbovița River.... , Romania |
Clay | Elena Bogdan Elena Bogdan Elena Bogdan is a Romanian professional tennis player. Her highest WTA singles ranking was 155, which she reached on July 4, 2011 whilst her best doubles ranking was 107 on June 13, 2011... |
6–1, 6–3 |
| Winner | 4. | 18 May 2008 | Bucharest Bucharest Bucharest is the capital municipality, cultural, industrial, and financial centre of Romania. It is the largest city in Romania, located in the southeast of the country, at , and lies on the banks of the Dâmbovița River.... , Romania |
Clay |  Stéphanie VongsouthiStephanie Vongsouthi Stephanie Vongsouthi is a French tennis player.-2005:Vongsouthi played her first ever professional match on the clay at Amiens in France, at the age of 16. She lost a close match to compatriot Laurene Fayol, 5-7, 7-5, 6-4. She left Amiens with her first prize money of $98. Vongsouthi's first... |
7–6(7–4), 6–3 |
| Winner | 5. | 28 June 2008 | Kristinehamn Kristinehamn Kristinehamn is a locality and the seat of Kristinehamn Municipality, Värmland County, Sweden with 17,836 inhabitants in 2005.- Geography :Kristinehamn is situated by the shores of lake Vänern... , Sweden |
Clay |  Anne SchäferAnne Schäfer Anne Schäfer is a German tennis player who turned professional in 2005.-Early life and education:Schäfer started playing tennis when she was seven years old... |
6–3, 6–2 |
| Runner-up | 1. | 2 May 2009 | Makarska Makarska Makarska is a small town on the Adriatic coastline of Croatia, about southeast of Split and northwest of Dubrovnik. It has a population of 13,716 residents. Administratively Makarska has the status of a town and it is part of the Split-Dalmatia County.... , Croatia |
Clay | Tatjana Malek Tatjana Malek Tatjana Malek is a professional German tennis player. She achieved her highest singles ranking of World No. 64 on 14 September 2009. Her highest doubles ranking of World No. 73 came on 3 May 2010. Malek has won 8 ITF singles titles and 7 ITF doubles title but no WTA tour singles or doubles titles... |
1–6, 6–4, 4–6 |
| Winner | 6. | 6 September 2009 | Maribor Maribor Maribor is the second largest city in Slovenia with 157,947 inhabitants . Maribor is also the largest and the capital city of Slovenian region Lower Styria and the seat of the Municipality of Maribor.... , Slovenia |
Clay |  Katalin MarosiKatalin Marosi Katalin Marosi is a professional tennis player from Hungary. Marosi has won 16 ITF Circuit Singles titles and 27 doubles titles... |
6–4, 6–2 |
| Runner-up | 2. | 17 October 2010 | Torhout Torhout Torhout is a municipality located in the Belgian province of West Flanders. The municipality only comprises the city of Torhout proper. On January 1, 2008 Torhout had a total population of 19,755... , Belgium |
Hard |  Yanina WickmayerYanina Wickmayer Yanina Wickmayer is a Belgian professional tennis player who is currently ranked world no. 22 and is the second-highest ranked female Belgian tennis player. She reached her career-high ranking of world no. 12 on 19 April 2010... |
3–6, 2–6 |
Doubles Final History: 4-0
| Outcome | No. | Date | Tournament | Surface | Partner | Opponents in the final | Score |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Winners | 1. | 5 May 2007 | Bucharest Bucharest Bucharest is the capital municipality, cultural, industrial, and financial centre of Romania. It is the largest city in Romania, located in the southeast of the country, at , and lies on the banks of the Dâmbovița River.... , Romania Romania Romania is a country located at the crossroads of Central and Southeastern Europe, on the Lower Danube, within and outside the Carpathian arch, bordering on the Black Sea... |
Clay | Ionela-Andreea Iova Ionela-Andreea Iova Ionela-Andreea Iova is a professional Romanian tennis player playing in the ITF Women's Circuit. She is coached by Ovidiu Popescu.-ITF Singles Circuit finals: 2 :-ITF Doubles Circuit finals: 14 :-External links:... |
Laura-Ioana Andrei Ioana Gaspar |
6–4, 2–6, 6–3 |
| Winner | 2. | 11 May 2007 | Bucharest Bucharest Bucharest is the capital municipality, cultural, industrial, and financial centre of Romania. It is the largest city in Romania, located in the southeast of the country, at , and lies on the banks of the Dâmbovița River.... , Romania |
Clay | Irina-Camelia Begu |
Laura-Ioana Andrei Ioana Gaspar |
6–4, 6–2 |
| Winners | 3. | 4 May 2008 | Bucharest Bucharest Bucharest is the capital municipality, cultural, industrial, and financial centre of Romania. It is the largest city in Romania, located in the southeast of the country, at , and lies on the banks of the Dâmbovița River.... , Romania Romania Romania is a country located at the crossroads of Central and Southeastern Europe, on the Lower Danube, within and outside the Carpathian arch, bordering on the Black Sea... |
Clay | Ionela-Andreea Iova Ionela-Andreea Iova Ionela-Andreea Iova is a professional Romanian tennis player playing in the ITF Women's Circuit. She is coached by Ovidiu Popescu.-ITF Singles Circuit finals: 2 :-ITF Doubles Circuit finals: 14 :-External links:... |
 Oksana Khomyk  Shona Lee |
6–3, 6–1 |
| Winners | 4. | 9 May 2009 | Bucharest Bucharest Bucharest is the capital municipality, cultural, industrial, and financial centre of Romania. It is the largest city in Romania, located in the southeast of the country, at , and lies on the banks of the Dâmbovița River.... , Romania |
Clay | Irina-Camelia Begu |
Julia Görges Julia Görges Julia Görges is a professional tennis player from Germany. Görges reached career-high WTA singles ranking of No. 16 on 6 June 2011 and a doubles ranking of 31 on 6 June 2011... Sandra KlemenschitsSandra Klemenschits Sandra Klemenschits is an Austrian tennis player. She has won around 25 doubles titles on the ITF Circuit as of May 2009, most of them with her twin Daniela although they never reached a WTA doubles final.-Personal life:... |
2–6, 6–1, [12–10] |
Singles performance timeline
| Tournament | 2008 2008 WTA Tour The 2008 Sony Ericsson WTA Tour was the 36th season since the founding of the Women's Tennis Association. It commenced on December 31, 2007, and concluded on November 9, 2008 after 59 events.The season was characterised by its frequent changes in the No... | 2009 2009 WTA Tour The 2009 Sony Ericsson WTA Tour was the 37th season since the founding of the Women's Tennis Association. It commenced on January 5, 2009, and concluded on November 8, 2009 after 56 events.... | 2010 2010 WTA Tour The Women's Tennis Association Tour is the elite professional tennis circuit organized by the WTA. The 2010 WTA Tour calendar comprises the Grand Slam tournaments , the WTA Premier tournaments , the WTA International tournaments, the Fed Cup , and the year-end... | 2011 2011 WTA Tour The WTA Tour is the elite tour for women's professional tennis organized by the Women's Tennis Association . The 2011 WTA Tour includes the Grand Slam tournaments , the WTA Premier tournaments, the WTA International tournaments, the Fed Cup , the Commonwealth Bank Tournament of Champions, and the WTA... | W–L | |||||||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Grand Slam Tournaments | ||||||||||||||||||||
| Australian Open Australian Open The Australian Open is the only Grand Slam tennis tournament held in the southern hemisphere. The tournament was held for the first time in 1905 and was last contested on grass in 1987. Since 1972 the Australian Open has been held in Melbourne, Victoria. In 1988, the tournament became a hard court... |
A | A | LQ 2010 Australian Open – Women's Singles Serena Williams defended her title after winning 6–4, 3–6, 6–2 against Justine Henin in the final.-Seeds:# Serena Williams # Dinara Safina ... |
3R 2011 Australian Open – Women's Singles Serena Williams was the defending champion, but could not defend her title due to a foot injury sustained in the middle of the 2010 season.Kim Clijsters won her first Australian Open title and fourth Grand Slam overall by beating Li Na 3–6, 6–3, 6–3 in the final match... |
2–1 | |||||||||||||||
| French Open | A | LQ 2009 French Open – Women's Singles Ana Ivanović was the defending champion, but lost in the fourth round to Victoria Azarenka.Svetlana Kuznetsova won in the final 6–4, 6–2, against Dinara Safina in 74 minutes. It was the third all-Russian final in Grand Slam history, and the first since 2004... |
1R 2010 French Open – Women's Singles Svetlana Kuznetsova was the defending champion, but lost in the third round to Maria Kirilenko.Francesca Schiavone defeated Samantha Stosur 6–4, 7–6 in the final and became the first Italian woman to win a Grand Slam tournament.-Seeds:... |
2R 2011 French Open – Women's Singles Francesca Schiavone was the defending champion, but lost in the final to Li Na, 6–4, 7–6, making Li the first Asian and Chinese Grand Slam singles champion.-Seeds:# Caroline Wozniacki # Kim Clijsters ... |
1–2 | |||||||||||||||
| Wimbledon The Championships, Wimbledon The Championships, Wimbledon, or simply Wimbledon , is the oldest tennis tournament in the world, considered by many to be the most prestigious. It has been held at the All England Club in Wimbledon, London since 1877. It is one of the four Grand Slam tennis tournaments, the other three Majors... |
A | A | LQ 2010 Wimbledon Championships – Women's Singles The Women's Singles event at the 2010 Wimbledon Championships saw defending champion and top seed Serena Williams successfully defend her title with a 6–3, 6–2 win over Vera Zvonareva in the final, whilst failing to lose a set throughout the entire tournament... |
2R 2011 Wimbledon Championships – Women's Singles Serena Williams was the two-time defending champion, but lost to 2007 finalist Marion Bartoli in the fourth round.For the first time since 1913, all eight quarter-finalists were European.... |
1–1 | |||||||||||||||
| US Open | A | A | 1R 2010 US Open – Women's Singles Kim Clijsters was the defending champion, and successfully defended her 2009 title, after she won 6–2, 6–1, against Vera Zvonareva in the final. This match lasted only one hour.-Seeds:# Caroline Wozniacki # Kim Clijsters ... |
2R 2011 US Open – Women's Singles Kim Clijsters was the two-time defending champion, but withdrew due to an abdominal injury.Ninth seed Samantha Stosur won her first Grand Slam championship, defeating the favourite Serena Williams, a three-time US Open champion and the 28th seed, 6–2, 6–3 in the final... |
1–2 | |||||||||||||||
| Win–Loss | 0–0 | 0–0 | 0–2 | 5–4 | 5–6 | |||||||||||||||