In her first WTA match of 2021, the Romanian Simona Halep, world No. 2, claimed victory in her debut in the Gippsland Trophy against the Russian Anastasia Potapova by 6-4 and 6-4 in just one hour and 18 minutes, in this appointment that serves as a prelude to the Australian Open.
I needed this win, because I haven’t played an official match since October last year, so it’s been a long time, “said a smiling Halep, on court after beating Potapova, the 2016 Wimbledon junior champion.
“I just wanted to feel the court, feel the game. I knew it was going to be a difficult match, (Potapova) hits very hard,” added the Romanian, who had only tried herself this year in the Adelaide exhibition against Australian Ashleigh Barty. .
Halep will now face Germany’s Laura Siegemund, seeded No. 16, or Australia’s Destanee Aiava.
Ukraine’s third seed Elina Svitolina also made her successful debut by defeating German Andrea Petkovic 6-1, 6-4, thus achieving her fourth victory in four games.
“It was exciting,” Svitolina said of her first game of the Australian summer. “I knew that (Petkovic) had already won a match here, so I hoped she was ready for the match immediately,” she said in a statement on the WTA website.
The American Coco Gauff also did well, who beat the Swiss Jil Teichmann in a difficult match, 6-3, 6-7 (6) and 7-6 (5).
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