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Simona Halep Takes Opener At Porsche Tennis Grand Prix

By Harry Floyd

STUTTGART, GERMANY - APRIL 25: Simona Halep of Romania plays a forehand to Magdalena Rybarikova of Slovakia during day 3 of the Porsche Tennis Grand Prix at Porsche-Arena on April 25, 2018 in Stuttgart, Germany. (Photo by Alex Grimm/Getty Images)
STUTTGART, GERMANY - APRIL 25: Simona Halep of Romania plays a forehand to Magdalena Rybarikova of Slovakia during day 3 of the Porsche Tennis Grand Prix at Porsche-Arena on April 25, 2018 in Stuttgart, Germany. (Photo by Alex Grimm/Getty Images) /
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Simona Halep is the world No. 1 and top seed this week at the Porsche Tennis Grand Prix. She is off to the start she wanted so far.

Romanian tennis star Simona Halep is the current world No. 1 in women’s singles tennis. Just behind her is Danish star and Australian Open champion Caroline Wozniacki. Halep, however, is looking to put some distance between herself and the field during the clay court season. She has seen success during these months in the past.

Opening with a win at the Women’s Stuttgart Open, Halep is off to a fine start this week. She takes down Magdaléna Rybáriková of Slovakia in three sets in order to advance. After dropping the first set, Halep found her game and closed out the final two sets with ease. She awaits her second match opponent as the early round play continues.

Also in action this week is German tennis star and former world No. 1 Angelique Kerber. The German great is a favorite at the event, having won twice in both 2015 and 2016. She completes the upsets over Petra Kvitova as the two met for an extremely interesting early round matchup. Kvitova has bounced back to the WTA Tour in the past year. Kerber, who reached career heights in 2016 when she won two Grand Slam singles titles, is reemerging as a top player in women’s singles tennis. She is right in the Race to Singapore alongside Wozniacki and Halep.

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Women’s singles tennis is seeing a tremendous influx of both up and coming and revitalized veteran talent. Simona Halep falls somewhere right in the middle.

The world No. 1 has an immense amount of experience for a player her age. She should be a favorite moving forward in any match she plays this week. Her success on clay cannot be denied, but anything can happen. Former champion at the event, Maria Sharapova, sees a loss at the hands of Caroline Garcia. Sharapova is yet to rediscover her previous self since her return to the WTA Tour. The Russian superstar can, however, play a factor in any tournament. Keep an eye on her throughout the rest of the year. As for Simona Halep and others still alive at the Women’s Stuttgart Open, stay tuned to see how far they can advance this week.

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