Halep records 30th Madrid Open win

MADRID, AFP: Former world number one Simona Halep recorded the 30th Madrid Open win of her career, overcoming American phenom Coco Gauff 6-4, 6-4 on Monday, Halep climbed back from 1-4 down in the second set to skip past Gauff in 77 minutes.

“I felt like I played exactly what I had to play,” said the 30-year-old Halep, who is now 3-0 lifetime against Gauff.

“In the second set she changed a little bit, she was more aggressive and it wasn’t easy to adjust. But in the end I pushed her back and I did what I wanted to do.” The Romanian two-time Grand Slam champion takes a 2-1 head-to-head record into her last-eight showdown with the Ons Jabeur, who at number 10 in the world, is the highest-ranked player left in the draw.

Madrid has been a happy hunting ground for Halep, who clinched the winner’s trophy twice from a tournament record four final appearances in the Spanish capital.