Serena Williams got revenge on Simona Halep with ruthless WTA Tour final victory
Lee Davey
Few players got the better of tennis great Serena Williams, and those who did quickly received a taste of their own medicine.
That could not be more true for Simona Halep who inflicted on Williams, one of her most damaging career defeats.
Serena Williams was swept aside by Simon Halep in a shock defeat in Singapore
Serena Williams was swept aside by Simon Halep in a shock defeat in Singapore
In 2014 and with Williams in the prime of her career going into the WTA Finals in Singapore, there was little to suggest the American was to be handed a devastating defeat.
The seven-time Wimbledon ladies singles winner was closing in on her second clean sweep of Grand Slams having won the US Open and with Australian Open, Roland Garros and Wimbledon in the bag the following year.
Her 6-0, 6-2 defeat to Halep made sense to few considering the level Williams was playing at, at the time.
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Having won just two games against the Romanian, it was tied as the most lopsided defeat of her career at the time.
Speaking to reporters after the match, Williams said of Halep’s display: “Personally I’ve never seen her play like this, ever.
“I’ve been practising really, really well and hitting the ball really solid. I don’t think I hit solid today, but again, she took balls early and she played really, really solid.”
Luckily for the American, the WTA final rules state that even if you lose a round robin match, you’re not out of the tournament, something she questioned even if it had given her a lifeline.
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“I feel like once you lose you should be out of the event,” Williams said. “But I’m still hanging in there, so we’ll see what happens.”
And hang in, she did. Williams went on to qualify for the semi-finals with a 2-1 round robin record before seeing off Caroline Wozniacki, 2-6, 6-3, 7-6 (6) in the last four.
And as so often happens with sporting scripts, her chance at redemption awaited with Halep standing between her and another title.
Williams took advantage of the round robin rules to bounce back and take the title
Williams took advantage of the round robin rules to bounce back and take the title
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Simona Halep saw her glee at beating Williams earlier in the tournament, quickly extinguished
Simona Halep saw her glee at beating Williams earlier in the tournament, quickly extinguished
But there was no repeat of the massacre of four day previous as Williams powered to a 6,3, 6-0 victory, winning 11 of the last 12 games of the match.
The win handed Williams her third consecutive and fifth overall WTA Finals crown.
It also signalled the only time in WTA Finals history that a player lost to another player in the round robin stage in straight sets before coming back to beat them in the final.
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“I knew that she would be more motivated during this match because we played a few days ago and I won that match,” Halep said after the final.
“She’s the best. She’s a great player, and she deserves to win this title.”
“I knew I had to step up my game,” Serena said. “I knew I had to play a lot better, so obviously I was expecting a much better player than I was in the earlier rounds.”
