Daniela Hantuchova, Simona Halep win titles – Tennis news
Former world number five, Daniela Hantuchova, and the Romanian star, Simona Halep, conquered their opponents and won titles over the weekend.
The Slovakian star dumped Donna Vekic in straight sets at the AEGON Classic whereas Halep stunned the former Top 10, Andrea Petkovic, with a 6-3, 6-3 victory in Nurnberg.
The Slovak lost her serve twice but capitalised on three out of eight break chances to outclass the 16-year-old. Battling each other for the first time, Hantuchova not only took lead in the head-to-head series against the Croat but also shelved her sixth
WTA title of her career.
The 30-year-old stated in a post match presser, “I'm always so happy coming back here year after year, and it feels great to finally get the title. The first week on grass is always really demanding on the body, so I'm proud of how I made it through so many
long matches throughout the week. And when I really needed to, I was tough mentally.”
Hantuchova made a convincing start and got the coveted break in the seventh game to take a 4-3 lead. She squandered her edge in the very next game but stayed focused and took the set to a tie-breaker. The Slovak edged past her rival in it and bagged the
opener with a 7-6(5) win.
Currently ranked 48th in the WTA Premier Rankings, Hantuchova suffered the first blow in the third game and trailed at 1-2. However, she quickly recovered in the very next game and stayed calm. The Slovak got the breakthrough in the last game and clinched
the set with a 6-4 score line.
Halep on the other hand displayed her best tennis against the German star at the Nurnberger Versicherungscup. She held her entire serves with ease and cashed three break chances to rule the match.
The jubilant Romanian commented in a courtside interview after clinching her first title of her career, “This is a very nice win for me, and this is a very nice tournament - I'll never forget this. Andrea beat me in Romania a few years ago and I'm happy
I could win against her here today. It's an unbelievable feeling to win my first WTA title.”
The 21-year-old drew the first blood in the fifth game and jumped to a 4-2 lead. She availed another break chance and pocketed the set with a 6-3 success.
The Romanian kept momentum rolling in the proceeding set. She got the much awaited break in the second game and cruised to a 3-0 lead. Halep then held her remaining serves with conviction and clicked the set with a 6-3 win.
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