Simona Halep, who beat Jelena Jankovic for the Indian Wells title, didn’t get a chance to play world No. 1 Serena Williams, who pulled out of her semifinal against the Romanian with an injured right leg.
“When I came here, after my first match I said that I want to play in semifinals with Serena again, because I wanted to see where I am and how I stay on court,” Halep said. “I didn’t have the chance. I was so sorry for her because of injury. It's really important in your career.”
The world No. 3 has yet to win a Grand Slam title, but she reached the Roland Garros final last year against Maria Sharapova. The world No. 2 lost in the fourth round to Flavia Pennetta.
“In Australia I think I played good tennis, but I couldn't fight [she lost to Ekaterina Makarova in the quarterfinals],” said Halep, who won the title in three sets after trailing by a set and a break. “So for the most important thing it's just to have this feeling to fight till the end. This tournament gives me a lot of confidence that I can be there, I can win every tournament, so now I have more confidence that I can win a Grand Slam.”