Halep brushes aside Badosa in Madrid
It was an impressive performance from the two-time Madrid champion to dismiss the second seed
Simona Halep of Romania in action during the first round of the 2022 Mutua Madrid Open WTA 1000 tennis tournament against Shuai Zhang of China (Rob Prange/AFP7 via ZUMA Press Wire)
Mutua Madrid Open | Draw | Order of play
Simona Halep turned in a sensational performance on the Madrid clay she loves, demolishing world No 2 Paula Badosa 6-3, 6-1 to reach the Round of 16.
The two-time Mutua Madrid Open champion won nine of the last ten games to secure a resounding victory.
The Romanian – who announced her new coaching partnership with Patrick Mouratoglou earlier in April – showcased an aggressive gamestyle against the home favourite, stepping up to the baseline and taking the ball early. Badosa had no time to think or respond, and looked flustered, serving up four double faults altogether.
Halep, on the other side, served two aces, no double faults, and hit 21 winners in a decisive win.
“We are working very hard on some things,” she said on court afterwards. “I’m just focusing on getting better and getting stronger.”
She will now face either Coco Gauff or Yulia Putintseva in the next round.
The defeat means that Badosa will drop from her current ranking when the new figures are calculated.
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