Seventh seed Simona Halep squeezed past fellow Romanian Mihaela Buzarnescu 6-3 4-6 6-2 in one hour and 51 minutes to reach the third round of Wimbledon 2019.
It was a low-quality match that included as many as 14 breaks of serve that constantly shifted the momentum. After losing the first-set slugfest, the 31-year-old Buzarnescu won four games in a row from 0-2 in the 47-minute second set to keep her hopes of an upset alive. Even though Halep leveled back to 4-4, the world No.53 Buzarnescu recorded another break and the match was to be decided in the third set. This time Halep built a 3-0 lead and after another exchange of breaks it was eventually the former world No.1 who celebrated victory by breaking Buzarnescu at love.
The 2014 Wimbledon semifinalist Halep should definitely raise her level if she plans to win more matches this fortnight. Today she was helped by Buzarnescu’s 44 unforced errors.
Awaiting Halep in the third round will be Victoria Azarenka, who crushed Ajla Tomljanovic 6-2 6-0 earlier on Wednesday. The last time the Grand Slam champions Halep and Azarenka faced each other was at Wimbledon two years ago, when Halep won 7-6(3) 6-2, but it was only the Belarusian’s second tournament since giving birth to son Leo.
Fashion info: After debuting Nike’s white lace dress in the first round, Halep switched to separates in her second match at Wimbledon 2019 — the pleated Nike Fall Victory London Skirt and coordinating tank.
Halep’s looking good and I like her positive attitude. She’s finally finding her way without Darren Cahill as her coach, unlike Osaka who fired Sascha just as she was rising to the top. I don’t understand why Maddie Keys won’t hire the guy. She’s got to get the right coach ASAP, one who’ll successfully groom her for a major title. “Congrats, Halep! Go, go, go!”
And, oh, I guess somebody better update the “Who will win Wimbledon 2019” voting list by removing Osaka’s name and replacing it with Cori “Coco” Gauff’s. She’s definitely in it to win it.
The Real Deal, when I added Osaka to the list, I didn’t add her as a favorite, as you can conclude by reading the article in which the list was originally posted. https://womenstennisblog.com/2019/06/30/predicting-wimbledon-champion/ I simply added her as a recent No.1 and someone who is still watched closely.
I understand, but I still feel the list should be updated as players are eliminated, if that’s at all possible. I guess not because her name is still there. It’s okay. Thanks for the reply.
Don’t know why these TV commentators are announcing Azarenka as a threat to Halep. Their pick for Vika to be the victor against Halep is ludicrous. I wish they’d stop underestimating Halep and speak truth, which is: Azarenka is no match for or threat to Halep; she’s done little since finally returning to the game after giving birth; no threat to anyone on the tour, to be honest. Proof occurred minutes ago when Halep defeated Vika easily in straight sets. What a joke Mary Jo Fernandez and Chrissie Evert! Wishful thinking, I guess. “Go, Halep!”
The Real Deal, we’re already quite deep into the tournament, so I’ll close the poll anyway.