Simona Halep made her comeback at the Miami Open, playing one match, but her comeback will continue on the lower level.
Halep's comeback came together quickly after she jumped on a chance to play at the Miami Open. It wasn't something she necessarily planned, but she was practicing anticipating a return sooner rather than later.
It came after CAS announced its ruling in her appeal case. Just days after the Court reduced her suspension to only nine months, Halep received a wild card entry for the Miami Open.
Since it was more than a year since she last played, the reduction effectively allowed Halep to play immediately, and she took the chance. The experience was interesting, albeit not quite successful.
She won the opening set against Paula Badosa with ease but then struggled as the match went on and ultimately lost in three sets. It was promising, but it also showed that she's not quite ready for that level yet.
That's why her next move won't surprise many. Instead of just continuing on the top level, Halep will actually play a lower-level event. She accepted an invitation to the WTA 125K event in Oeiras, which will run from April 15th to the 21st.
After that, she'll return to the top level at the Madrid Open, where she also received a wild card entry. It's certainly a sensible move for the former world no. 1 because she does need some matches before she can really challenge some of the best.
Her return to Oeiras will be together with her coach, Carlos Martinez, who last worked with Maria Sakkari, and that will be an interesting start to their collaboration as well.
This next couple of weeks will certainly demonstrate how serious of a threat Halep can be on the tennis tour, especially after losing more than a year due to the suspension.