Indian Wells, Simona Halep vs Jelena Jankovic March 22, 2015. This final match was breath taking. The tension was enormous for three sets, my heart trying to pound it's way out of my chest. Jelena had all the right moves in the first set, while Simona was having trouble with her strokes, serves and placement. The second set was still Jelena's domain up three to one, then Simona began to make the shots she was missing and began to gain ground. Yet in the second set Jelena was serving for the match but with Simona fighting hard could not close. With some solid shots Simona managed to take the second set seven to five but not without great play by both players. With waves of momentum changes during the match Simona Halep wore down Jelana Jankovic in the third set closing it six to four. The final score 2-6, 7-5, 6-4
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Simona Halep of Romania, and Timea Bacsinszky of Switzerland hold their trophies after their final match of the WTA Shenzhen Open tennis tournament in Shenzhen in southern China, Saturday, Jan. 10, 2015. Halep beat Bacsinszky 6-2 & 6-0 in the final. Bacsinszky played better then the score indicates however her serve was not working as well as it did when she defeated Petra Kvitova. In a side note Simona Halep was forced to withdraw from the Sydney International tournament with gastroenteritis according to the following quote. "I feel like I cannot play," Halep said. "I came here to play all the tournaments so it's not good to stop. I didn't play already for three days. But I have to recover first myself and then think about tennis." Get well soon Simona! Hopefully she will be feeling fit enough to play in the Australian Open, which starts next Monday at Melbourne Park. (AP Photo) CHINA OUT
What does Simona Halep have to do to get the American press to appreciate her talent on the tennis court? Let's see Simona won 7 titles in 2013, was a finalist at Roland Garros this year, had more success in 2014. Oh yes and she beat Serena Williams in their first match at the World Finals! I first watched Simona play early in 2013, before she had won any WTA titles and could see the she was a terrific player with lots of potential. Simona quickly became my favorite female player with great court coverage and controlled aggression, not to mention terrific down the line shots and placement. Her interviews are honest and refreshing with humor and charm. Simona is always looking to improve her game and has managed to do so.
The media has for some reason ignored Simona Halep. Watching on TV her matches were almost completely ignored even when she was 5 in the world and recently 3 and 2. Many times Rennae Stubbs of Tennis Channel would make note of how Simona was being snubbed by the media.
Is it time for the women to show their true grit in major finals? Men play best out of five sets for all matches in majors. I think that would be too much to ask of the women for various reasons. Their rallies usually seem on average to be longer especially for the defensive player's matches ( I do not have the stats it is just by observation). Women are born with about thirty percent less muscle mass than men. Be that as it may I would like to see the fitness of the women tested to a higher level in major finals. This would also without retirements or ? guarantee that we would see at least three sets in the major finals on the women's side. When someone wins in straight sets now it's just too short for a major match. Think of some of your favorite players that you might watch for five sets if this change takes place!
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