2015 Preview: WTA No. 3, Simona Halep

The freshest game on tour last year came from a slightly surprising source: An undersized, 23-year-old Romanian who began the 2013 season ranked No. 47, but finished the 2014 season all the way up at No. 3. Simona Halep is just 5-foot-6, but she makes up for her lack of leverage with smooth movement and clean ball-striking. She’s a natural in every part of the game; no one makes changing the direction of the ball look so easy.

Halep’s 2014 was a series of tests, and she passed them all. In February, with her title in Doha, she showed that she could win a quality event. In June, with her runner-up finish at the French Open, she showed that she could go deep at a major. In October, with her blowout win over Serena Williams in Singapore, she showed that she can beat anyone on a given day. Her first test of 2015 will be whether she can win a Grand Slam; but even if it doesn’t happen this year, Halep’s youth and all-around skills should take her to the top of the class in the near future.

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Halep had her ups and downs in 2014, but after beating Serena in round-robin play and reaching the Singapore final in October, she should come into the new year with confidence despite losing 6–3, 6–0 to Serena in that tournament’s final. If Halep does play with confidence, she’ll be among the favorites at each of the first three majors, and especially on the Parisian clay.

She’ll no longer be working with coach Wim Fissette, who guided her through her breakout  season. And now that the top players have seen and faced her, they’ll make adjustments. Whether Halep has the tactical help she needs to combat them remains to be seen.

Halep will show us how far a natural can go in today’s power game. She can be out-slugged, but she moves too well and hits too cleanly to stay down for long.

For more 2015 season previews, click here.