Simona Halep Needs to win 2 matches on Sunday To Claim Birmingham Classic Title
WTA
Former world No. 1 Simona Halep faces a difficult task at the 2022 Birmingham Classic after her semifinal match was postponed due to rain.
Halep's partnership with new coach Patrick Mouratoglou got off to a rocky start during the clay court season. The lowest point was a second-round defeat at the French Open to Qinwen Zheng.
However, the 2019 Wimbledon Champion has found some form at the Birmingham Classic. She reached the quarterfinals of the tournament with comfortable straight-set triumphs against Lesia Tsurenko and Harriet Dart.
Halep then played even better in the quarterfinal. She defeated Katie Boulter 6-4 6-1. Boulter's style makes her dangerous on grass, meaning the Romanian did superbly to see off her challenge without being troubled.
That victory set up an exciting semifinal against Beatriz Haddad Maia, who won her first WTA Tour title in Nottingham last week. Unfortunately, rain stopped that match being played on Saturday, meaning Halep will need to work hard on Sunday to secure the title.
Since the final is scheduled for Sunday, Halep's semifinal with Haddad Maia must be completed on the same day. The other semifinal between Sorana Cirstea and Shuai Zhang will also be played on Sunday, provided the weather is better than Saturday.
Halep could be worried about injuring herself by potentially playing two singles matches on the same day. Wimbledon starts in just over a week; understandably, that is the most essential part of the grass court season for all the players.
The Romanian will hope to produce a blistering performance to quickly win her semifinal and be in good shape for the final. Yet, a quick victory is unlikely against Haddad Maia. The Brazilian is one of the grittiest players in the women's game, and she is in great form.
Hopefully, Halep and Haddad Maia can deliver a semifinal to remember on Sunday in Birmingham.
