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Simona Halep into China Open finals, becomes new world No. 1

By Harry Floyd

BEIJING, CHINA - OCTOBER 07: Simona Halep of Romania poses with a bouquet after becoming world number one due to winning the Women's singles semifinals match against Jelena Ostapenko of Latvia on day eight of 2017 China Open at the China National Tennis Centre on October 7, 2017 in Beijing, China. (Photo by Lintao Zhang/Getty Images)
BEIJING, CHINA - OCTOBER 07: Simona Halep of Romania poses with a bouquet after becoming world number one due to winning the Women's singles semifinals match against Jelena Ostapenko of Latvia on day eight of 2017 China Open at the China National Tennis Centre on October 7, 2017 in Beijing, China. (Photo by Lintao Zhang/Getty Images) /
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Simona Halep makes history as she enters the finals at the 2017 China Open. The Romanian tennis star becomes the 25th WTA world No. 1.

Simona Halep reaches the finals in Beijing. She also makes history, as she will become the 25th WTA world No. 1 when the rankings update on Monday.

Halep squares off against Caroline Garcia of France in the China Open finals.

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As she becomes the world No. 1, Halep leaps past Wimbledon champion Garbine Muguruza. The former world No. 1 was forced to retire during her Beijing opener due to illness. Dropping out of the China Open gave Halep the opportunity she needed to take the top spot.

Simona Halep is the first Romanian to achieve the world No. 1 ranking since the system was implemented in 1975.

The new world No. 1 was all smiles after her semifinals win over Jelena Ostapenko. She defeats the French Open champion to advance in Beijing, winning in straight sets. Halep takes the match 6-2, 6-4.

Garcia is fresh off of a title win at the Wuhan Open. The 23-year-old French tennis player is a rising star in women’s singles tennis. While Halep is 2-0 throughout her career against Garcia, both players have momentum going into the finals. Garcia is the current world No. 15 in women’s singles tennis.

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As the new world No. 1, Simona Halep is looking beyond just Beijing toward the WTA Finals in Singapore. In 2014, she reached the finals at the end of the year tournament. There is no doubt that Halep is looking to end the year as the definitive favorite on the WTA Tour.

Finals action at the 2017 China Open goes down on Sunday at the WTA tournament. On the men’s side, Rafael Nadal faces Nick Kyrgios in the finals. Stay tuned to see how Simona Halep fares against Caroline Garcia in the finals.

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