Simona Halep has made a winning return to the courts after a five-month absence after beating world No. 114 Arina Rodionova at the WTA 125 tournament in Hong Kong and she has also clinched her first victory since overcoming Anastasia Potapova in 2022 Cincinnati.
On Wednesday, the former world No. 1 played her first match since a knee injury forced her to retire mid-match in Trophée Clarins in May. And after making a strong start, the Romanian started to struggle a bit and showed some inconsistency – but after some drama – she ultimately managed to beat Rodionova 6-2 4-6 6-4 in just over two hours of play.
In what was just her third tournament since being cleared to return to tennis in March following a doping ban, Halep easily won the first set after claiming two breaks and facing no break points.
But then, the 114th-ranked Australian started showing some signs of life and won the opening three games of the following set. While the two-time Grand Slam champion managed to get that break back, she still lost the second set after dropping her serve in the 10th game.
In the third set, Halep was twice up by a break but twice blew her lead. Fortunately for the 33-year-old, she was able to remain calm – break Rodionova again in the ninth game – and serve out for the match in the following game.
Who is Halep’s next opponent + the announcement made by the Romanian
Next up for the former world No. 1 will be No. 7 seed Anna Blinkova, who crushed Peangtarn Plipuech 6-1 6-2 in her Hong Kong opener.
Meanwhile, the Romanian also made an important announcement on Wednesday, revealing that she signed up to play the WTA 250 tournament in Cluj in 2025 February.
“Hi guys, I’m happy to let you know that in February I will be playing the Transylvania Open. I know it was awarded two times the best WTA 250 tournament worldwide. I just can’t wait to see you all back in Cluj at BTarena,” she announced in a video message.
In 2021, Halep made the Cluj final but fell just short of winning it in front of her home fans after losing to Karolina Pliskova.