Simona Halep has described playing at Roland Garros on her birthday as ‘unique’ after easing into the second round of the tournament on Sunday.
The top seed marked turning 29 with a 6-4, 6-0, win over Spain’s Sara Sorribes Tormo after recovering from a lacklustre start. Halep dropped her serve two consecutive times to fall behind 2-4 in the opener before winning 10 games in a row to seal victory. Extending her winning run on the Tour to 15 matches.
“It was a really special day playing on Roland Garros on my birthday. So it’s pretty unique, maybe forever,” Halep said afterwards.
“I cannot celebrate much because I have to stay in the room (due to COVID-19 restrictions), so I will have a bottle of water.”
This year’s French Open is taking place later than usual due to the COVID-19 pandemic and was originally scheduled to take place between May and June. Due to the change of dates, players are finding themselves playing in much more trickier conditions in Paris which has raised the alarm bells for some.
Halep, who has won two WTA titles on the clay leading up to Paris, actually produced more unforced errors than Tormo (23-16) but hit more than twice as many winners (23-10). Furthermore, she 69% of her first service points but only 44% of her second while playing under the newly built roof on Court Phillippe-Chartier.
“I was very honoured to actually open this roof, to be the first women’s match. It was much better because we could play and the rain didn’t stop us at all,” she said.
“Even if it was a little bit heavy, because of the weather, the conditions were good to play on this rainy day.”
The world No.2 is seeking her second title at Roland Garros after 2018 when she won her first ever Grand Slam trophy. Reflecting on how her game has developed over time, Halep believes she is more mature on the court than what she was 12 months ago. Last year she was knocked out in the quarter-finals of the French Open by Amanda Anisimova.
“I think I improved a lot. I’m more mature on the court. I feel very good on court. I’m relaxed. I’m just trying to give my best every time. I don’t give up any points. So I think I changed a lot in the last 12 months.”
Halep will play either compatriot Irina-Camelia Begu or Switzerland’s Jill Tiechmann in the second round. Should she go on to win the title this year she will also reclaim the world No.1 ranking from Ash Barty.
