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Home > Sports News > Other Sports News > Article > Shenzhen Open Simona Halep stuns Katerina Siniakova to clinch 16th WTA title

Shenzhen Open: Simona Halep stuns Katerina Siniakova to clinch 16th WTA title

Updated on: 07 January,2018 10:45 AM IST  |  Shenzhen
AFP |

World No.1 Simona Halep beats Siniakova 6-1, 2-6, 6-0 for her 16th WTA title; sends out warning to Oz Open rivals

Shenzhen Open: Simona Halep stuns Katerina Siniakova to clinch 16th WTA title

Romanian Simona Halep poses with the trophy after beating Czech Republic’s Katerina Siniakova in Shenzhen on Saturday. PIC/AFP
Romanian Simona Halep poses with the trophy after beating Czech Republic’s Katerina Siniakova in Shenzhen on Saturday. PIC/AFP


World No.1 Simona Halep fired a warning to her Australian Open rivals on Saturday, beating Katerina Siniakova in three sets to win the Shenzhen Open. The Romanian saw off the reigning champion from the Czech Republic 6-1, 2-6, 6-0 in 72 rollercoaster minutes in rain-hit southern China. Halep, 26, is guaranteed top seeding for the Australian Open, the season's first Grand Slam, which begins in Melbourne on January 15. This was her 16th WTA title but the first since reaching the top of the world rankings in October. The match was delayed by five hours because of rain in Shenzhen and had to be moved indoors before play could begin.


Great week for me: Halep
"It's been a great week for me as I've been playing very well. It was a difficult match and (Siniakova) played very well," said Halep. "I was a little bit less nervous and just tried to enjoy the moment, even if we are playing indoors," she added. "It's not easy but we did our job and I'm happy that I could win the first title of the year." Halep had earlier provided a heart-warming moment when she made use of the severe rain delay by exchanging a few shots with a young boy who had been plucked from the sodden crowd. To applause and cheers, Halep shook the boy's hand afterwards and planted a kiss on his cheek.


No generosity
When the final against sixth-seeded Siniakova finally got under way, Halep was not nearly so generous, powering through the first set in less than 30 minutes. But big-serving Siniakova, who dumped out former World No.1 Maria Sharapova in the semi-finals, roared back to take the second set and force a decider. Halep regained her composure and stepped up a gear in the third set to take the Shenzhen title for a second time and underline her good form heading into Melbourne.

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