Simona Halep played her first match in well over a year and did pretty well, but still lost in a very competitive match against Paula Badosa.
In some ways, this was a pretty favorable draw for Halep because she got a player who hasn't played a lot of tennis in recent months. Badosa attempted a comeback a few times in the past few months, but every time she starts to play, an injury occurs not long after.
That's not ideal for a tennis player, and we saw the effects of that in the opening set. Badosa opted for a very aggressive approach, electing to finish off points early.
That worked for about a game and a half because the very solid Halep forced her to hit a lot of shots to win a point, and she simply misfired a bit too often.
The Romanian herself was pretty strong hitting-wise and aggressive when she needed to be. It was a pretty solid and consistent level from Halep, while the Spanish player misfired far too often. Halep won the opening set 6-1.
The second set saw Badosa finally start to hit a bit more consistently. She took an early break, which eased her mind a bit, and from there, it was a pretty simple cruise.
The former world no. 1 wasn't getting as many free points anymore, and she couldn't generate a lot of pressure either. The Spaniard would take the second set, 6-4, taking the match into the decider.
The final set opened with an early break for Badosa, who was now really feeling good on the court. She settled nicely and was able to hit through Halep with more success. She attacked the vulnerable second serve but couldn't hold on, so Halep broke back.
Badosa would step up once more and break her opponent's serve, but this time around, she held for the 4-2 lead. From there, Badosa cruised to the finish line, with the final score being 1-6, 6-4, 6-3.
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