Simona Halep thunders into Indian Wells fourth round with statement victory over Gauff

WATCH: 2015 champion Simona Halep defeats Coco Gauff in the third round of 2022 Indian Wells.

It may be Coco Gauff’s 18th birthday today, but No. 26 seed Simona Halep will be the one celebrating on Sunday, after she took down the American in a powerful 6-3, 6-4 display at the BNP Paribas Open.

One of the most eye-catching third-round women’s matches on the schedule lived up to its blockbuster billing, pitting the resurgent 2015 champion against one of the WTA’s fastest rising stars. And there was history here, too: in 2019, it was Halep who cooled off 15-year-old Gauff’s unforgettable Wimbledon debut with a 6-3, 6-3 win in the fourth round, before going on to win the tournament.

A similar storyline unfolded when the pair met once again on Stadium One—although three years on from their first meeting, it was Gauff who was one of the pre-tournament favorites and seeded higher at No. 16. Halep has been finding her way back into form after missing half of last season due to a serious calf injury, dropping out of the Top 20 as a result.

The 30-year-old Romanian has been back in the mix as of late, starting the season by lifting the trophy in Melbourne and coming into Indian Wells after a semifinal run in Dubai. She played perhaps her best tennis of the season across one hour and 17 minutes against Gauff, leaning on her experience to help her adapt quickly to windy conditions.

“It’s never easy to get the rhythm when it’s windy… It was really tough to adjust, but I knew that I could play good tennis in the wind, because when I was a kid I was playing well against the big hitters. Today it was the same case,” Halep told Andrew Krasny after the match.

Halep saved all four break points she faced against Gauff, and she won almost 70 percent of points behind her solid first serve. Gauff wasn’t able to capitalize on her opportunities, and fired 33 unforced errors as Halep broke serve three times to close out the match.

The victory sends the 2015 champion back into the fourth round, where she sets an all-Romanian clash with Sorana Cirstea—looking to extend her 17-0 record against her countrywomen on tour. It will be the pair’s first meeting since 2010, after Cirstea defeated Anna Kalinskaya 5-7, 6-1, 6-0 to advance.