Simona Halep looked rusty in the first round at the Prague Open

The WTA’s number 2 ranked Simona Halep looked rusty and tired in her first competitive event since the Dubai Open. She won the Title at the Dubai Open in February. She took time off because of a foot injury at the Dubai Open, and the pandemic extended the hiatus further.

Simona Halep looked rusty and out of breath against Hercog

Halep faced a stiff challenge from the unseeded Plolona Hercog in the first round of the Prague Open. Simona sailed through the first but looked rusty and out of breath in the second set. She invoked the inner Simona to fight off the gritty Slovenian, and eke out a 6-1, 1-6, 7-6 (3) win towards the end. The reigning Wimbledon Champion dropped serve six and double faulted eight times before closing on her seventh match point.

Also read – Simona Halep’s first slam

“After the second set, I felt tired,” Simona said. “But I knew she was in the same position so I just had to stick to the plan and fight. The fighting helped me to win the match.”

Halep is favorite to win the Prague Open title

Simona, as the top seed at the Prague Open, is also the favorite to take home the title. She faces the wild card Barbora Krejcikova next. The only prior meeting between Barbora and Simona, in 2016, went three sets in Simona’s favor. Halep should prevail and move into the quarters to face the winner between Arantxa Rus and, the 22 years old, Magdalena Frech. Halep enjoys a comfortable 4-0 against the Dutchwoman, Rus, but Magdalena and the Romanian have yet to face each other. Simona should make the semi-finals, but Laura Siegemund, with a winning 2-1 record against her, in the semis will be a challenge. Laura, however, is a long way from the semis, and there’s many a slip between the cup and the lip.

The lower half of the draw at the Prague Open appears a little tougher

While Simona sails through her draw until the semis, we expect a tough battle in the lower half of the draw.

Eugenie Bouchard, in the lower half, showed signs of revival and dispatched the eighth seeded Veronika Kudermetova. The third seeded Belgian, Elise Mertens sent, the dangerous, Camilla Giorgi packing. Though neither enjoy a winning record against the Romanian, but both, however, vanquished Simona on the hard courts in the past. And, women’s tennis, as we know, is known for surprises and upsets!

But, based on the rankings, Simona remains the favorite to win the event.