Down match point, Halep wins tense WTA Finals tussle over Andreescu

At this time last year, Simona Halep had just wrapped up the year-end No. 1 ranking for the second consecutive season despite missing the WTA Finals in Singapore with a back injury. Bianca Andreescu, a teenager who looked to model her game after the Romanian, was ranked No. 185 and at home, competing at an ITF tournament in Toronto.

Now the highest-ranked Canadian woman in history at No. 4, Andreescu took on Halep in an unusual first-time clash between major champions on Monday at the WTA Finals Shenzhen. The showdown more than lived up to the hype, as Wimbledon winner Halep rallied from match point down to prevail, 3-6, 7-6 (6), 6-3 over the US Open titlist to win the second Purple Group match of the day.

"I'm really proud of my team and myself that we could make it again," Halep said on-court after kicking off her fifth appearance (qualified six times). "It was a very tough match. I knew that she was a great player and [would] play until the end without giving up. I had to fight."

From the first point, it was clear their similarities in style would provide plenty of intrigue. Both players battled for court positioning, needing to strike a balance in patience and risk-taking. Andreescu brought a bit more power, especially on return, to have a greater say in their rallies. Though she lost an early break advantage and trailed 3-2, the Canadian reeled off five consecutive games, successfully picking moments to step in on her forehand. Andreescu finished the first set with 15 winners, while Halep produced just five after hitting cross-court too often, according to her coach Darren Cahill.

Getty Images

Three successive breaks saw Halep move ahead 3-2 in the second set, as unforced errors began to creep in for Andreescu. Like she’s done all season long, the 19-year-old put the past behind her. She leveled for 4-4 with a forehand return winner, before addressing a cut on her leg. Halep kept fighting, saving a match point at 5-6 in a gritty exchange to force a tiebreaker. Andreescu erased two set points to reach 6-6, but hit successive loose errors to drop the set.

Each player required medical attention before beginning the decider: Halep had her big right toe taped, while Andreescu had her lower back worked on. The No. 4 seed drew Halep in and handcuffed her at the net to break for 2-1. Cahill urged his pupil to get forward and take time away from Andreescu. Halep dug in, getting back on serve by denying Andreescu three game points and was soon energized by the chants of “SI-MO-NA!, SI-MO-NA!”

Though the Canadian broke back, Halep won the longest rally of the match to move ahead 5-3. Just over an hour after being a point away from heading to the locker room, Halep closed out the victory at love in two hours and 34 minutes. She handed Andreescu her second successive three-set defeat following her quarterfinal loss to Naomi Osaka in Beijing.

"I love playing under pressure but I have to turn it in a positive way. Today, I did it," Halep said. "I'm happy that I could fight with a girl 10 years younger than me. She did an unbelievable job this year."

Halep's best result at the season finale came five years ago, when she finished runner-up to Serena Williams.

!