2018 Simona Halep tennis season

The 2018 Simona Halep tennis season officially began on 1 January 2018 with the start of the 2018 WTA Tour. Simona Halep entered the season as the No. 1 ranked player in the world.

2018 Simona Halep tennis season
Full nameSimona Halep
Country Romania
Calendar prize money$6,005,336
Singles
Season record46–11 (80.7%)
Calendar titles3
Current rankingNo. 1[1]
Ranking change from previous year
Grand Slam & significant results
Australian OpenF
French OpenW
Wimbledon3R
US Open1R
Injuries
InjuriesFoot injury (February) Back injury (September)
Last updated on: 30 September 2018.
Main article: Simona Halep

Year in detail

Shenzhen Open

Halep began her season at the Shenzhen Open. She was the top seed and advanced to the final after successfully defeating Nicole Gibbs, Duan Yingying, Aryna Sabalenka and Irina-Camelia Begu. She defeated her in the opponent's final that eliminated her one year ago in R16 in three sets, Kateřina Siniaková.

Australian Open
See also: 2018 Australian Open – Women's singles final

Her next tournament was the Australian Open. She was the main draw favorite for the first time in a Grand Slam career. She defeated Destanee Aiava in straight sets, still in the first round injured at the right leg's ankle. She then beat Eugenie Bouchard, former world rank 5, Lauren Davis in an epic match that lasted 3 hours and 45 minutes taking the third set 15–13. The match equaled the Australian Open record for most games played in a women's singles draw match at 48 — equaling Chanda Rubin's 1996 quarterfinal win over Arantxa Sánchez Vicario.[2][3] She went on to defeat Naomi Osaka in the 4th round in straight sets and former world No. 1 Karolina Pliskova in the quarter-finals, also in straight sets. She faced former world No. 1 and 2016 Australian Open champion Angelique Kerber in the semi-finals. In the 3rd set, she saved two match points and went on to win, qualifying for the Australian Open final for the first time.

In the final, Halep was defeated by Caroline Wozniacki in three sets.[4][5]

After Australian Open fell to second place for four weeks.

Qatar Ladies Open

Halep then played the Qatar Open, where she received a bye in the first round. She defeated Ekaterina Makarova with a bagel in the second set. The Australian Open finalist put together a dominant performance and needed just 58 minutes. She then defeated Anastasija Sevastova, seed 13 in straight sets. Her next opponent was American, CiCi Bellis. The first set was won by a bagel. In semifinal should have played with, but withdrawing prior to her match against Garbine Muguruza because of a right foot injury. Nevertheless, despite not playing the next week, she returned to the top spot.

Indian Wells Masters

Halep then played the Indian Wells Masters, where she received a bye in the first round. She defeated Kristýna Plíšková in straight sets, Caroline Dolehide in three sets, Wang Qiang in straight sets and Petra Martić in three sets, in straight sets before she lost to Naomi Osaka again in the semifinal.[6]

Miami Open

Halep then entered the Miami Open, where she also received a bye in the first round. In round 2 beat French Océane Dodin in three sets. However, she lost in the third round to 2012 champion Agnieszka Radwanska.[7]

Fed Cup, World Group-Play Off

She kicked off her clay court campaign by leading Romania against Switzerland in their World Group Play-off tie in Cluj-Napoca. By virtue of a 3-1 victory with Halep going 2-0 in the singles rubbers, they secured a place in the 2019 World Group for the first time in two years.[8]

Porsche Tennis Grand Prix

After Fed Cup, Halep went to Stuttgart where she knocked a victory on Magdaléna Rybáriková before losing to quarters at CoCo Vandeweghe[9]

Mutua Madrid Open

Halep then played the Madrid Open. She defeated Ekaterina Makarova, giving up just one game, Elise Mertens with a bagel in first set, Kristýna Plíšková and advanced into the quarterfinals. However, she lost Karolína Plíšková in straight sets, after winning the last two editions and after having only 15 victories in a row.

Italian Open

Halep's next tournament was the Italian Open, where she received a bye in the first round. She defeated Naomi Osaka, winner at Indian Wells, yielding a single game. In the third round should have played with Madison Keys, but the latter had to retire due to a shoulder injury, so Simona qualified in the quarter-finals without playing in round 3. In the quarter-finals defeated Caroline Garcia, the 7th World Player, with only 5 games. In semifinal has marred one of her rivals Russian, Maria Sharapova winning editions of 2011, 2012 and 2015 in an epic match. Simona won in 3 sets after losing the first set. In the final she lost to the same opponent last year, Elina Svitolina. She lost the first set to 0.

French Open

In the French Open, Halep was the 1st seed for the second time in a Grand Slam. In the first round, she defeated Alison Riske losing the first set. She was forced to compete on the 4th day on Wednesday after the match was postponed due to the dark. In the second round, she easily defeated the American wildcard Taylor Townsend. Her opponent in the third round was the 2014 semi-finalist, Andrea Petkovic. Halep defeated the German in straight sets, not losing a game in the second set. Her next opponent was the 16th seed Elise Mertens, who she defeated in 59 minutes, dropping just 3 games. In the quarterfinals, she met Kerber in a rematch of the Australian Open semifinal, and defeated her once again in three sets.. In the semi-final she met former world No. 1 and French Open champion Garbiñe Muguruza, and defeated her in straight sets. In the final, Halep met Sloane Stephens, and came back from a set deficit to win her first Grand Slam title, on her fourth attempt. She became the first Romanian woman to win a Grand Slam title since Virginia Ruzici won the French Open in 1978.[10][11]

All matches
Key
W  F  SF QF #R RR Q# A P Z# PO G F-S SF-B NMS NH
(W) Won; (F) finalist; (SF) semifinalist; (QF) quarterfinalist; (#R) rounds 4, 3, 2, 1; (RR) round-robin stage; (Q#) qualification round; (A) absent; (P) postponed; (Z#) Davis/Fed Cup Zonal Group (with number indication) or (PO) play-off; (G) gold, (F-S) silver or (SF-B) bronze Olympic medal; a (NMS) downgraded Masters Series/1000 tournament; (NH) not held. SR=strike rate (events won/competed)
To avoid confusion and double counting, these charts are updated at the conclusion of a tournament or when the player's participation has ended.

Singles matches
Tournament Match Round Opponent Rank Result Score
Shenzhen Open
Shenzhen, China
WTA International
Hard, outdoor
1 – 7 January 2018
1 1R Nicole Gibbs 110 Win 6–4, 6–1
2 2R Duan Yingying 91 Win 3−6, 6–1, 6–2
3 QF Aryna Sabalenka 73 Win 6–2, 6–2
4 SF Irina-Camelia Begu (4) 43 Win 6–1, 6–4
5 W Kateřina Siniaková (6) 47 Win (1) 6–1, 2–6, 6–0
Australian Open
Melbourne, Australia
Grand Slam
Hard, outdoor
15 – 28 January 2018
6 1R Destanee Aiava (WC) 193 Win 7–6(7–5), 6–1
7 2R Eugenie Bouchard 112 Win 6–2, 6–2
8 3R Lauren Davis 76 Win 4–6, 6–4, 15–13
9 4R Naomi Osaka 72 Win 6–3, 6–2
10 QF Karolína Plíšková (6) 6 Win 6–3, 6–2
11 SF Angelique Kerber (21) 16 Win 6–3, 4–6, 9–7
12 F Caroline Wozniacki (2) 2 Loss (1) 6–7(2–7), 6–3, 4–6
Qatar Open
Doha, Qatar
WTA Premier 5
Hard, outdoor
12 – 17 February 2018
– 1R Bye
13 2R Ekaterina Makarova 36 Win 6–1, 6–0
14 3R Anastasija Sevastova (13) 15 Win 6–4, 6–3
15 QF CiCi Bellis 48 Win 6–0, 6–4
- SF Garbiñe Muguruza (4) 4 Withdrew N/A
Indian Wells Open
Indian Wells, United States
WTA Premier Mandatory
Hard, outdoor
5 – 18 March 2018
– 1R Bye
16 2R Kristýna Plíšková 77 Win 6–4, 6–4
17 3R Caroline Dolehide (WC) 165 Win 1–6, 7–6(7–3), 6–2
18 4R Wang Qiang 55 Win 7–5, 6–1
19 QF Petra Martić 51 Win 6–4, 6–7(5–7), 6–3
20 SF Naomi Osaka 44 Loss 3–6, 0–6
Miami Open
Miami, United States
WTA Premier Mandatory
Hard, outdoor
19 March – 1 April 2018
– 1R Bye
21 2R Océane Dodin (WC) 98 Win 3–6, 6–3, 7–5
22 3R Agnieszka Radwańska (30) 32 Loss 6–3, 2–6, 3–6
Fed Cup WG Play-offs:
Switzerland vs. Romania
Cluj-Napoca, Romania
Fed Cup
Clay, indoor
21 – 22 April 2018
23 - Viktorija Golubic 115 Win 6–3, 1–6, 6–1
24 - Patty Schnyder 149 Win 6–2, 6–1
Stuttgart Open
Stuttgart, Germany
WTA Premier
Clay, indoor
23 – 29 April 2018
– 1R Bye
25 2R Magdaléna Rybáriková 18 Win 4–6, 6–2, 6–3
26 QF CoCo Vandeweghe (WC) 16 Loss 4–6, 1–6
Madrid Open
Madrid, Spain
WTA Premier Mandatory
Clay, outdoor
7 – 13 May 2018
27 1R Ekaterina Makarova 33 Win 6–1, 6–0
28 2R Elise Mertens 16 Win 6–0, 6–3
29 3R Kristýna Plíšková (Q) 94 Win 6–4, 6–1
30 QF Karolína Plíšková (6) 6 Loss 4–6, 3–6
Italian Open
Rome, Italy
WTA Premier 5
Clay, outdoor
14 – 20 May 2018
– 1R Bye
31 2R Naomi Osaka 21 Win 6–1, 6–0
- 3R Madison Keys (13) 14 Win w/o
32 QF Caroline Garcia (7) 7 Win 6–2, 6–3
33 SF Maria Sharapova 40 Win 4–6, 6–1, 6–4
34 F Elina Svitolina (4) 4 Loss (2) 0–6, 4–6
French Open
Paris, France
Grand Slam
Clay, outdoor
27 May – 10 June 2018
35 1R Alison Riske 83 Win 2–6, 6–1, 6–1
36 2R Taylor Townsend (WC) 72 Win 6–3, 6–1
37 3R Andrea Petkovic 107 Win 7–5, 6–0
38 4R Elise Mertens (16) 16 Win 6–2, 6–1
39 QF Angelique Kerber (12) 12 Win 6–7(3–7), 6–3, 6–2
40 SF Garbiñe Muguruza (3) 3 Win 6–1, 6–4
41 W Sloane Stephens (10) 10 Win (2) 3–6, 6–4, 6–1
Wimbledon Championships
London, United Kingdom
Grand Slam
Grass, outdoor
2 – 15 July 2018
42 1R Kurumi Nara 100 Win 6–2, 6–4
43 2R Zheng Saisai 126 Win 7–5, 6–0
44 3R Hsieh Su-wei 48 Loss 6–3, 4–6, 5–7
Canadian Open
Montreal, Canada
WTA Premier 5
Hard, outdoor
6 – 12 August 2018
– 1R Bye
45 2R Anastasia Pavlyuchenkova 28 Win 7–6(11–9), 4–6, 7–5
46 3R Venus Williams (13) 14 Win 6–2, 6–2
47 QF Caroline Garcia (6) 6 Win 7–5, 6–1
48 SF Ashleigh Barty (15) 16 Win 6–4, 6–1
49 W Sloane Stephens (3) 3 Win (3) 7–6(8–6), 3–6, 6–4
Cincinnati Open
Cincinnati, United States
WTA Premier 5
Hard, outdoor
13 – 19 August 2018
– 1R Bye
50 2R Ajla Tomljanović (Q) 58 Win 4–6, 6–3, 6–3
51 3R Ashleigh Barty (16) 16 Win 7–5, 6–4
52 QF Lesia Tsurenko 44 Win 6–4, 6–1
53 SF Aryna Sabalenka 34 Win 6–3, 6–4
54 F Kiki Bertens 17 Loss (3) 6–2, 6–7(6–8), 2–6
Connecticut Open
New Haven, United States
WTA Premier
Hard, outdoor
20 – 26 August 2018
– 1R Bye
– 2R Camila Giorgi 45 Withdrew N/A
U.S. Open
New York City, United States
Grand Slam
Hard, outdoor
27 August – 9 September 2018
55 1R Kaia Kanepi 44 Loss 2–6, 4–6
Wuhan Open
Wuhan, China
WTA Premier 5
Hard, outdoor
23 – 29 September 2018
– 1R Bye
56 2R Dominika Cibulková 31 Loss 0–6, 5–7
China Open
Beijing, China
WTA Premier Mandatory
Hard, outdoor
1 – 7 October 2018
57 1R Ons Jabeur (Q) 116 Loss 1–6, retired
Kremlin Cup
Moscow, Russia
WTA Premier
Hard, indoor
15 – 21 October 2018
– 1R Bye
– 2R Anastasia Pavlyuchenkova 40 Withdrew N/A

Tournament schedule

Singles schedule

Halep's 2018 singles tournament schedule is as follows:

Date Championship Location Category Surface 2017
result		 2017
points		 2018
points		 Outcome
1 January –
7 January		 Shenzhen Open Shenzhen International Hard 2R 30 280 Winner defeated Kateřina Siniaková
6–1, 2–6, 6–0
15 January –
28 January		 Australian Open Melbourne Grand Slam Hard 1R 10 1300 Final lost to Caroline Wozniacki
6–7(2–7), 6–3, 4–6
12 February –
17 February		 Qatar Open Doha Premier 5[lower-alpha 1] Hard DNP 0 350 Semifinals withdrew to Garbiñe Muguruza
N/A
5 March –
18 March		 Indian Wells Open Indian Wells Premier Mandatory Hard 3R 65 390 Semifinals lost to Naomi Osaka
3–6, 0–6
19 March –
1 April		 Miami Open Miami Premier Mandatory Hard QF 215 65 Third round lost to Agnieszka Radwańska
6–3, 2–6, 3–6
23 April –
29 April		 Stuttgart Open Stuttgart Premier Clay (i) SF 185 100 Quarterfinals lost to CoCo Vandeweghe
4–6, 1–6
7 May –
13 May		 Madrid Open Madrid Premier Mandatory Clay W 1000 215 Quarterfinals lost to Karolína Plíšková
4–6, 3–6
14 May –
20 May		 Italian Open Rome Premier 5 Clay F 585 585 Final lost to Elina Svitolina
0–6, 4–6
27 May –
10 June		 French Open Paris Grand Slam Clay F 1300 2000 Winner defeated Sloane Stephens
3–6, 6–4, 6–1
2 July –
15 July		 Wimbledon London Grand Slam Grass QF 430 130 Third round lost to Hsieh Su-wei
6–3, 4–6, 5–7
6 August –
12 August		 Canadian Open Montréal Premier 5 Hard SF 350 900 Winner defeated Sloane Stephens
7–6(8–6), 3–6, 6–4
13 August –
19 August		 Cincinnati Open Cincinnati Premier 5 Hard F 585 585 Final lost to Kiki Bertens
6–2, 6–7(6–8), 2–6
20 August –
25 August		 Connecticut Open New Haven Premier Hard DNP 0 0 Withdrew due to injuries to achilles tendon
27 August –
9 September		 US Open New York Grand Slam Hard 1R 10 10 First round lost to Kaia Kanepi
2–6, 4–6
23 September –
29 September		 Wuhan Open Wuhan Premier 5 Hard 2R 1 1 Second round lost to Dominika Cibulková
0–6, 5–7
1 October –
7 October		 China Open Beijing Premier Mandatory Hard F 650 10 First round lost to Ons Jabeur
1–6, retired
15 October –
21 October		 Kremlin Cup Moscow Premier Hard DNP 0 0 Withdrew due to injuries to back injury
Road to Singapore points as of 2018 China Open 5675 6921 1246 difference
Total year-end points 6175 6921 746 difference

Yearly records

Head-to-head matchups
Surface Win–Loss Win%
Hard 28–6 82.35%
Clay 16–3 84.21%
Grass 2–1 66.67%
Overall 46–10 82.14%

Players are ordered by letter. (Bold denotes a top 10 player at the time of the most recent match between the two players, Italic denotes top 50.)

Top 10 wins
# Player Rank Tournament Surface Round Score SHR
1. Karolina Pliskova 6 Australian Open, Australia Hard Quarterfinals 6–3, 6–2 1
2. Caroline Garcia 7 Italian Open, Italy Clay Quarterfinals 6–2, 6–3 1
3. Garbiñe Muguruza 3 French Open, France Clay Semifinals 6–1, 6–4 1
4. Sloane Stephens 10 French Open, France Clay Final 3–6, 6–4, 6–1 1
5. Caroline Garcia 6 Canadian Open, Canada Hard Quarterfinals 7–5, 6–1 1
6. Sloane Stephens 3 Canadian Open, Canada Hard Final 7–6(8–6), 3–6, 6–4 1

Finals

Singles: 6 (3 titles, 3 runner-ups)

Legend
Grand Slam tournaments (1–1)
WTA Tour Championships (0–0)
Premier Mandatory & Premier 5 (1–2)
Premier (0–0)
International (1–0)
Finals by surface
Hard (2–2)
Clay (1–1)
Grass (0–0)
Titles by setting
Outdoors (3–2)
Indoors (0–0)
Result W–L    Date    Tournament Tier Surface Opponent Score
Win 1–0 Jan 2018 Shenzhen Open, China International Hard Katerina Siniaková 6–1, 2–6, 6–0
Loss 1–1 Jan 2018 Australian Open, Australia Grand Slam Hard Caroline Wozniacki 6–7(2–7), 6–3, 4–6
Loss 1–2 May 2018 Italian Open, Italy Premier 5 Clay Elina Svitolina 0–6, 4–6
Win 2–2 Jun 2018 French Open, France Grand Slam Clay Sloane Stephens 3–6, 6–4, 6–1
Win 3–2 Aug 2018 Canadian Open, Canada Premier 5 Hard Sloane Stephens 7–6(8–6), 3–6, 6–4
Loss 3–3 Aug 2018 Cincinnati Open, USA Premier 5 Hard Kiki Bertens 6–2, 6–76, 2–6

Earnings

The tournaments won by Halep are in boldface.

# Tournament Prize money Year-to-date
1. Shenzhen Open $163,260 $163,260
2. Australian Open A$2,000,000 $1,680,732
3. Qatar Open $147,750 $1,680,879
4. Indian Wells Masters $327,965 $2,008,844
5. Miami Open $47,170 $2,056,014
6. Stuttgart Open €16,411 $2,077,509
7. Mutua Madrid Open €149,390 $2,253,877
8. Italian Open €253,425 $2,568,124
9. French Open €2,200,000 $5,345,777
10. Wimbledon Championships £100,000 $5,483,511
11. Rogers Cup $521,825 $6,005,336
12. Cincinnati Open $243,920 $6,249,256
– Connecticut Open N/A $6,249,256
13. US Open $ $
Total prize money $6,249,256

See also

Notes
  1. Qatar Total Open was a Premier tournament in 2017.

References
  1. "Rankings | Singles | WTA Tour". 14 May 2018.
  2. "Recap of Australian Open Day Six at Melbourne Park". 21 January 2018. Retrieved 21 June 2018.
  3. "Halep handles Davis in Australian Open nailbiter". 20 January 2018. Retrieved 24 January 2018.
  4. Cambers, Simon (26 January 2018). "Halep and Wozniacki set for high-stakes Australian Open final after riding luck". The Guardian. Retrieved 21 June 2018.
  5. Cambers, Simon (28 January 2018). "She lost the Aussie Open final, but all is well in Simona Halep's world". ESPN. Retrieved 21 June 2018.
  6. "Kasatkina grounds Wozniacki again to reach Indian Wells QF". WTA Tennis. 14 March 2018. Retrieved 16 March 2018.
  7. https://www.bbc.co.uk/sport/tennis/43529053
  8. Marica, Irina (2018-04-23). "Romania back to Fed Cup World Group after win against Switzerland". Romania Insider. Retrieved 2018-06-13.
  9. "Stuttgart Open: Simona Halep loses to Coco Vandeweghe". BBC Sport. 2018-04-27. Retrieved 2018-06-13.
  10. Graham, Bryan Armen; (earlier), Tom Lutz (2018-06-09). "Simona Halep beats Sloane Stephens to win French Open title – live!". The Guardian. ISSN 0261-3077. Retrieved 2018-06-09.
  11. Hodges, Vicki (2018-06-09). "Simona Halep fights back from set and break down to end grand slam drought in Paris". The Telegraph. ISSN 0307-1235. Retrieved 2018-06-09.
This article is issued from Wikipedia. The text is licensed under Creative Commons - Attribution - Sharealike. Additional terms may apply for the media files.