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Simona Halep Retires, Other 2018 China Open Updates

By Harry Floyd

BEIJING, CHINA - SEPTEMBER 30: Simona Halep of Romania reacts during a press conference after losing to Ons Jabeur of Tunisia in their Women's Singles 1nd Round match of the 2018 China Open at the China National Tennis Centre on September 30, 2018 in Beijing, China. (Photo by Lintao Zhang/Getty Images)
BEIJING, CHINA - SEPTEMBER 30: Simona Halep of Romania reacts during a press conference after losing to Ons Jabeur of Tunisia in their Women's Singles 1nd Round match of the 2018 China Open at the China National Tennis Centre on September 30, 2018 in Beijing, China. (Photo by Lintao Zhang/Getty Images) /
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Simona Halep is the world number one in women’s singles tennis. She has dominated the 2018 WTA Tour, but retires this week in Beijing.

World number one Simona Halep is gone early from the 2018 China Open. Last year’s runner-up is struggling with an ongoing back injury and it appeared to get the best of her against qualifier Ons Jabeur. The Tunisian tennis player roared to a 6-1 start after the first set and that was all Halep had in her. She was not moving well at all on the courts.

The China Open moves on without Halep and fans of the WTA Tour must wonder if the world number one has what it takes to close out the year strong.

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Since roaring to an incredible start early in the year, Halep built up a comfortable lead in the singles rankings and in the Porsche Race to Singapore. Right behind her in the singles race though is German tennis star Angelique Kerber. The German great wins her opener at the 2018 China Open, defeating Kristina Mladenovic in straight sets.

Angelique Kerber defeats Kristina Mladenovic 6-2 6-2. The world number three is the tournament’s third seed and, with Simona Halep out of the mix, she could be a favorite moving forward at the 2018 China Open.

Former US Open champion Sloane Stephens is also in action this week in Beijing. She wins her opener in a hard-fought three set victory. Stephens is the ninth seed on the women’s singes side. Madison Keys and Caroline Garcia also win their openers.

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World number two Caroline Wozniacki is in action on Sunday at the event. With Simona Halep gone from the field, several players are looking to take advantage of her absence. Garcia is the defending champion and should also be someone to watching moving forward at the 2018 China Open. Stay tuned to see how the tournament in Beijing unfolds.

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