Simona's Strong Start to 2015

A week that started hesitantly ended in superb fashion for Simona Halep, who found her dominant self to collect the first title of the year in Shenzhen.

The Romanian went down the rabbit hole in the first match, recovering from a set and a break down to defeat fellow rising star, German Annika Beck. Once she cleared this hurdle, Halep cruised through the draw in straight sets to set up a final match-up with comeback kid, Swiss Timea Bacsinszky. The latter produced the surprise of the tournament stunning reigning Wimbledon champion, Czech Petra Kvitova, in the semis.

Although not 100% at her best, Simona put on a flawless performance, ending Timea's Cinderella run with a commanding 6-2,6-2.

"I wasn't feeling very well before the match—I was a little bit sick—so I told myself I have nothing to lose, just go on court, be relaxed, stay focused and fight for every point," Halep explained.

"It worked, and I felt really relaxed today. I'm happy I could play better day by day and match by match here. I'm looking forward to playing like today in the next tournament, maybe even better."

The result strenghtens Halep's credentials going into the Australian Open, where Simona hopes to claim her maiden Grand Slam crown: "I don't want to put any pressure on myself for the Australian Open. I have to be focused there, and I hope to win many matches there, but it'll be tough. I'll just try to do everything I did here."

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Old Fox Serena Still Reigns Supreme

It's clear to me that a miracle doesn't happen every day—that's why it's called a miracle. When Simona Halep destroyed world No.1 Serena Williams in their round robin match, the world was quick to announce the emergence of a new queen. The Romanian had played fabulous tennis in her first two clashed losing a total of seven games against Serena (6-0,6-2) and Canadian darling, Eugenie Bouchard (6-2,6-3). Courteosy of the result, she was guaranteed a place in the semis independent on the outcome of her final clash with Ana Ivanovic. However, should she had lost to the Serb in straight sets, her biggest rival, i.e. Serena, would exit the competition and Ivanovic would go through. 

The situation was tricky. On one hand you don't want to give Serena a chance at revenge, but on the other hand you want to win the battle on court and dot want to get involved in strategic calculations—or need be, do you? The confusion was such that it completely derailed Simona. She "chose" the worst option: she lost to Ivanovic in three sets. It's easy to do the shoulda-woulda-coulda now, but in my view a true champion should be smart and make the most of his/her opportunities. What followed was the most natural of scenarios: Halep crushed Radwanska in the semis, Serena struggled against bestie Wozniacki, and the two got to meet again in the championship showdown.

Simona was overconfident that she can beat Williams again. She started strong breaking her opponent to seize an early lead. What she didn't consider is that the American is the fiercest competitor out there and that she's at her best when she feels she has nothing to lose. In a fracture of a second, she turned things around going to serve out a devastating 6-3,6-0 victory to three-peat at the Season's Ending WTA Championships.

"She was playing so well in the first set, like she did the last time we played," Williams said. "I was literally on the side of the court and I laughed. But then I just told myself I had nothing to lose. I knew I just had to relax and start playing better if I wanted to win—and I really wanted to win."

"It's just been an unbelievable week," Williams confessed. "I just started training again last week because I had such a bad knee in Beijing. I can't believe I even made it to Singapore, and now I have the Billie Jean King Trophy, so I'm just really excited."

To add to the celebration, Serena also clinched the year-end No.1 spot this week, for the second season running, straightening her reign as the WTA's leading lady. In 2014, the American didn't have things quite her way, having to wait until the US Open to make a Grand Slam quarterfinals. However, she won in New York and she retained the No.1 ranking throughout the season. With the emergence of the young guns, it remains to be seen if she can maintain her dominance in 2015. My guess is that Serena will not go away any time soon. 

In their round robin match, Simona Halep destroyed Serena, stunning the world No.1 6-0,6-2.

Courtesy of the results this week, Serena clinched the year-end No.1 trophy for the second season running.

When the two met again in the final, Serena was better prepared. She returned the favour, quickly dismissing Halep 6-3,6-0 to three-peat at the WTA Championships in Singapore. 

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Halep Crowns Home Champion. Wins Too Many Friends

Ever since it was announced that Bucharest will be hosting a WTA event, the Romanian crowd had just one thing of its mind: have Simona Halep bring home the title. This felt like a certainty, Simona being featured in all TV commercial promoting the championships as the winner—even before the start of the competition. Moved from Budapest, Halep was the defending champion and the No.1 seed was a huge favourite to retain her crowd.

Cheered by an army of supporters, Simona had little trouble getting the job done. Although she beat lower-ranked players, playing at home can sometime be nerve-wrecking. Halep handled the pressure tremendously, trashing second seeded Italian, Roberta Vinci, 6-1, 6-3 in the final to give the Romanian people their champion. To add to the celebration, Alexandra Cadantu and Elena Bogdan teamed up to win the doubles title, making it a home sweep at the first edition of the BRD Bucharest Open.

In addition to all her on-court achievements, Simona has accomplished something far more significant: she forced the Romanian people to discover tennis. Some fell genuinely in love with the sport, others found inspiration for their social media statuses, but everyone is now talking about tennis—which became the hottest topic for discussion in the Romanian elitist groups. It's funny how people start to love you forever and ever just after you reach the heights. The same people that didn't give a f**k about you and what you do, now take pride in your achievement. They act like they were there to support you every step of your journey to success. It's OK celebrate her success, but don't feel entitled to it. They don't belong to her mother, father, lover, or the Romanian people. Simona's achievements are her own. I am still amazed by her tremendous transformation. She has made such progress already, but she needs to win a Grand Slam if she wants to book her place in the history book.

Simona Halep crowned herself the first champion at her home event in Bucharest, trashing second seeded Italian, Roberta Vinci, 6-1,6-3 in the final.

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Sharapova Wins the Crown, Simona Conquers Hearts

After a few early upsets-amongst which the shock defeat of world No.1 and defending champion, Serena Williams, by Garbine Muguruza-it was more or less clear that this year’s Roland Garros was headed for a Sharapova-Halep final showdown. The two have been the dominant figures of the clay-court season. Simona made the final in Madrid-losing to none other than Sharapova-while the Russian also triumphed in Stuttgart.

In Paris, Halep did not drop a set en route to the final. Maria’s ride on the other side was way more adventurous. The Russian was pushed hard several times, having to often come back from the brink of defeat. In her trademark style, she fought hard, playing solid tennis when it really mattered, coming from behind to defeat Sam Stosur in the fourth round, Garbine Muguruza in the quarterfinals, respectively Canadian darling, Genie Bouchard, in the semis. Maria is the ultimate fighter. She will fight and she will win because she is extremely tough mentally. She is impenetrable. She is the Iron Lady. Nothing derails her from her accomplishing her mission. She wants the victory more than anything, so even when she falls behind, she often finds a way to turn things around and achieve her goal. She proved it again at the French Open battling her way through to a third consecutive final.

Although less experienced, to me, Halep was the favourite. Simona has been in superb form this fortnight, playing smart, effective tennis. Nevertheless, Sharapova is always an extremely tough nut to crack. She will jut not go away easy. The match promised a great battle, and a great battle it was. 

In one of the most entertaining Grand Slam finals in recent years, Simona Halep showed just what she’s capable of, winning four points in a row from 3-5 down to win the second set’s tiebreak and level the dispute. The decider was again topsy-turvy, with Maria once again going up in front 4-2 just to be pegged back at 4-all by the tireless Romanian. At 4-all, the Russian found that extra something that saw her win Wimbledon aged 16. A second of confusion from Simona was all it took for the match to be over. Sharapova won two rapid love games and recaptured the Parisian crown. 

As said, this match had it all: stellar shot making, drama, swings in momentum, great fight backs, and, most important, emotion. Both players wanted the win so much that they gave it their all. The result was somehow fair: Maria won the crown, while Simona conquered hearts. Of course, Halep could have won the final. She was close. However she achieved something even more difficult-she won tons of hearts. Millions of people fell in love with her fabulous game. She’ll hopefully start collecting silverware soon. She is serious, hard-working, committed, and, most important, she plays with emotion. She won me over. I’m a fan! Go, Simona! Get yourself a Slam! You fully deserve it.

Sharapova, on the other hand, gave another lesson on what it means to want something bad, to refuse to give in. to believe in yourself, and to eventually prove yourself to the world as the great champion that you are. Her iron will got her the title, the fifth major of her career. And judging by her determination, this will probably not be the last one.

Both Simona Halep and Maria Sharapova played a fabulous match. They gave it their utmost all, but unfortunately, there could only be one winner. 

While Simona achieved the biggest performance of her career, Masha claimed her fifth Grand Slam crown and second Roland Garros title.

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Golden Simona Wins in Doha

I am amazed every time I see Simona reach another career milestone. It feels so incredible to witness the  transformation of this player who went from being ranked in the mid 50s to one of the elite top 10 players of the WTA tour basically overnight. 

After a solid run at the Australian Open and a few hiccups in Sydney and Paris, the Romanian caught fire once again in Doha. At the Premier event in Qatar, Simona was on the brink of defeat in the first round when she came back from 3-5 down in the decider to defeat Estonian Kaia Kanepi. Having survived the major scare, Halep unleashed her beautiful, inteligent game. After a quick dismissal of German younger Annika Beck, the Romanian showed her class stunning a trio of ten top players to win the biggest title of her career. First it was the fiesty Italian, Sara Errani. Then the ever-dangerous Pole, Aga Radwanska, and ultimately, Germany's best, Angelique Kerber. All these victories came in straight sets emphasizing once more Simona's great progress. 

"The first round was very difficult for me because I came from indoors at Fed Cup and it was pretty tough to adapt quickly—I had just one day to practice here," she said. "Kanepi had 5-3 in the third set against me and I called my coach on court, and I just told him, 'It's over, I lost the match.' But he said I can win that one. And I did. And then I got more confident with my serve. I started to believe I had a chance at this tournament. I was fighting for every point and found my game again." Halep is now 7-0 in finals since last June, plus she is on a six-match winning streak against fellow top ten opponents.

I am not sure how high can she go, but Simona is proving to be the real deal. I am pleasantly surprised by the fact that she is able to follow up on a breakthrough 2013 in such stellar fashion. She has the game and she is showing tremendous mental strength, so you'd say sky is the limit for the talented Romanian. You never know, but I wouldn't be surprised if she makes a Grand Slam final this year. The victory in Doha proved she is capable of such a performance. Let's go, Simona!

Simona Halep continued her amazing run by storming to victory at the Premier event in Doha. In the final, the talented Romanian got the better of Germany's best. Angelique Kerber, winning the biggest title of her career after a 6-2,6-3 victory.

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Halep Starting to Enjoy the Good Life

Following her spectacular second half of 2013, it was just a matter of time before the million dollar Romanian would break into the top 10. She did it in extraordinary fashion by reaching the quarterfinals at the Australian Open, her best result in a Grand Slam.

There have been a few question marks as to whether she would be able to back-up her breakthrough season. Those got even more intense after her early exit in Sydney, where she lost in straight sets to young American Madison Keys in the opening round. Fortunately, the loss proved just a fluke and Simona was back to her winning ways just in time for Melbourne.

She was quick to adjust to the extreme Australian heat, crushing Polish qualifier Katarzyna Piter 6-0,6-1 in the first round. She then overcame American Varvara Lepchenko and Kazakh Zarina Diyas. The stiffest test came in the fourth round where she met former world No.1, Jelena Jankovic. Simona had defeated the Serb a couple of times in the past, but this time around she really had to dig deep for the victory. The first game of the decider was key, the Romanian won it and run away with the match 6-4,2-6,6-0. 

The mental effort took its toll and Simona was drained when she took the court for her quarterfinal clash with Dominika Cibulkova. The Slovak was playing the tennis of her life, putting forth a lethal combination of aggression and precision that left Halep with no answers. 

Although she lost a disappointing final battle, the Romanian has plenty to cheer for. The result was enough to guarantee she'll break into the top 10 for the first time on Monday. She becomes just the third Romanian to achieve the feat. The season has just started, so I am sure there are many great things ahead for Simona in 2014. Well done, girl!

Although she was crushed 6-3,6-0 by Slovak Dominika Cibulkova in the quarterfinals, Simona achieved her best showing at a Grand Slam. The result is enough to see her break into the top 10.

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The 2013 WTA Moods Awards

2013 has been a fabulous year for the WTA tour. Not only did the WTA celebrate its 40th anniversary, but the leading ladies of the tour have put forth some breath-taking performances. Serena Williams once again dominated the proceedings, making an emphatic return to No.1 before going on to win Roland Garros, the US Open, and the WTA Tour Championships. Her fiercest rival, Vika Azarenka, also showed glimpses of geniuses, successfully defending her Australian Open crown. More important, she set records straight with Serena, beating the American to win in Doha and Cincinnati. Sadly, she lost the Flushing Meadows final, one of the most emotional and electrifying matches I ever saw. 

Wimbledon provided one of the most beautiful stories of the year, with quirky Marion Bartoli achieving her life goal by crowning herself champion. The star of the tournament was German Sabine Lisicki though, who beat Serena Williams and Aga Radwanska en route to her first Grand Slam final. 

2013 also saw the emergence of two new stars in Sloane Stephens and the million-dollar Romanian, Simona Halep. Stephens fared better in majors, but Simona turned things around in the second half of the season, winning six titles, among them the Tournament of Champions in Sofia. 

Tennis Moods favourites Flavia Pennetta and Andrea Petkovic fought their way back to the top, while Bartoli and former world No. 5, Russian Anna Chakvedatze, sadly said good-bye to the sport sooner than expected. The queen of hearts, Martina Hingis, stirred waters in August announcing she'll be making a comeback in doubles alongside Slovak Daniela Hantuchova. Poor results quickly made her reconsider her plans and the Swiss Miss is still undecided whether she'll continue playing in 2014.

The young guns have stepped up their game this year with Canadian sweetheart Eugenie Bouchard, Frenchwoman Kristina Mladenovic, German Annika Beck, Croat Donna Vekic, as well as Americans Madison Keys, Victoria Duval, and Taylor Townsend showing their enormous potential. 

Tennis Moods looks back at all these incredible stories and rewards these amazing champions. Congrats to all the 2013 WTA Moods Awards winners!

The 'World's Greatest' Award (for the best player of the year)

Winner: Serena Williams

Runner-up: Victoria Azarenka

The 'She Found Love' Award (for the most improved player of the year)

Winner: Simona Halep

Runner-up: Sloane Stephens

The 'Homecoming' Award (for the most spectacular comeback)

Winner: Flavia Pennetta

Runner-up: Andrea Petkovic

The 'She Works Hard for the Money' Award (for the most hard-working player)

Winner: Agnieszka Radwanska

Runner-up: Sara Errani

The 'Here I Am' Award (for the newcomer of the year)

Winner: Sloane Stephens

Runner-up: Shuai Zhang

The 'We Are Young' Award (for the most promising youngster on the tour)

Winner: Eugenie Bouchard

Runner-up: Kristina Mladenovic

The 'Talk That Talk' Award (for the wittiest player on the tour)

Winner: Victoria Azarenka

Runner-up: Martina Hingis

The 'Broken Hearted Girl' Award (for the most disappointing player of the year)

Winner: Julia Goerges

Runner-up: Heather Watson

The 'Queen of Hearts' Award (for the Tennis Moods' favourite)

Winner: Victoria Azarenka

Runner-up: Marion Bartoli

The 'When We Collide' Award (for the most spectacular doubles team)

Winner: Daniela Hantuchova & Martina Hingis

Runner-up: Ashleigh Barty & Casey Dellacqua

The 'I Feel Pretty' Award (for the the most beautiful player)

Winner: Eugenie Bouchard

Runner-up: Maria Kirilenko

The 'Fashion of Her Love' Award (for the best dressed player throughout the year)

Winner: Serena Williams

Runner-up: Sloane Stephens

The 'Paparazzi' Award (for the most memorable outfit of the season)

Winner: Venus Williams (US Open outfit)

Runner-up: Serena Williams (US Open outfit)

The 'I Will Always Love You' Award (for the player who retired this year and will be missed the most)

Winner: Marion Bartoli

Runner-up: Anna Chakvetadze

The 'Imagine' Award (for the most emotional story of the year)

Winner: Victoria Azarenka winning Australian Open

Runner-up: Marion Bartoli winning Wimbledon

The 'I Dreamed a Dream' Award (for the accomplishment of a dream)

Winner: Marion Bartoli winning Wimbledon

Runner-up: Kristen Flipkens reaching Wimbledon semifinal

The 'Hero' Award (for the braveheart performance of the year)

Winner: Sabine Lisicki at Wimbledon

Runner-up: Victoria Azarenka at the Australian Open

The 'Clash of Titans' Award (for the most exhilarating duel of the year)

Winner: Victoria Azarenka & Serena Williams

Runner-up: Victoria Azarenka & Maria Sharapova

SEE ALSO: The 2011 WTA Moods Awards and The 2012 WTA Moods Awards

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Million Dollar Simona

With the 2013 season nearing its end, the highest ranked eight WTA champions got to dispute one last big prize at the Tournament of Champions in Sofia. Held for the second consecutive year in the Bulgarian capital, the event welcomed red-hot Romanian Simona Halep, Australian Sam Stosur, Russians Maria Kirilenko, Elena Vesnina, and Anastasia Pavlyuchenkova, Frenchwoman Alize Cornet, as well as guest stars, Ana Ivanovic and home-hope Tsvetlana Pironkova.

Simona Halep was not only the No.1 seed, she was also a strong pick for the title. I’ve talked about this a couple of times, but I was genuinely stunned to witness the huge progress she made in the last couple of months. Although tired, the Romanian was extremely motivated to end her stellar season on a high. A recent champion in Moscow just a few weeks ago, Simona maintained the winning momentum, cruising through three straight-sets victories to win group A and book her place in the semifinals. As expected, things got a bit more difficult at this stage. Once again, her on-court serenity came to the rescue, helping her overcome two-time titlist Ana Ivanovic 2-6,6-1,6-3 in an entertaining come-from-behind thriller. Cheered heavily by an army of Romanian fans, Halep showed she was hungrier than ever. Even though she was outhit in the opening set of the final by Sam Stosur, she kept her cool head, managing to put forth another sensational display to come out on top once again against the Aussie. The 2-6,6-2,6-2 victory left her savouring the biggest and sweetest success of her career.

For me, Simona’s incredible transformation represents one of the highlights of the season. It’s like she woke up one day a new player, a player who suddenly knew exactly what she needed to do on the court to beat her opponent. It’s like she suddenly had an answer to everything. Her run is magnificent. With six titles and a career high of No.11, the young Romanian is announcing herself as one of the leading star of 2014. With basically no points to defend until Rome, Simona is expected to crack the top 10 when the new season resumes in January. I doubt she can claim a Grand Slam just yet, but a favourable context can be all she needs to get a big result.

Compared to other teen prodigies who bloomed early on the tour, Simona has had her share of trials and tribulations, which have prevented her to make her mark until now. I believe the experience was beneficial though because she is now ready to properly digest everything that’s coming her way. It happened the same with Azarenka. Once she shook off the failed expectations and focused on playing her game, Vika was almost invincible. As Azarenka’s, Simona’s growth is organic. Her success did not come overnight, so she is now ready to manage it and build on it to further develop her career. I expect the million-dollar Romanian to feature in the limelight for a while, so she has plenty of reasons to look forward to 2014. Well done, Simona!

The elite eight to take part at the WTA Tournament of Champions were (left to right): Alize Cornet, Tsvetlana Pironkova (invite) Elena Vesnina, Maria Kirilenko, Ana Ivanovic (invite), Sam Stosur, Anastasia Pavlyuchenkova, and Simona Halep.

Throughout the week, Simona was heavily cheered from the crowd by an army of Romanian supporters. 

For the second straight event, Simona Halep overcame Sam Stosur to win a WTA title. Despite the slow start, the Romanian came back firing to record a 2-6,6-2,6-2 triumph to collect the Tournament of Champions crown.

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5-Star Simona Wins in Moscow

Quietly, without stirring too many waters, Simona Halep is building a strong reputation as someone to look out for on the WTA tour. Keeping a clear head, while playing some very aggressive tennis, Simona negotiated her way through the Moscow draw to collect the fifth crown of her breakthrough season.

Although she is a former Roland Garros junior champion, these results were achieved basically overnight, ignited by her dream run at the Italian Open. Nowhere was an indication of what was about to follow, and no one could quite predict Simona's stunning second half of the year. During this period the Romanian beat a slew of top players, won five tournaments, made the fourth round at the US Open, and reached a career-high No.14 in the rankings.

In Moscow, Halep once again sent a clear signal to her rivals that she is a real threat. A counterpuncher turned into an utterly aggressive opponent, the Romanian proved too much to handle for big names like Russian Anastasia Pavlyuchenkova and Australian Sam Stosur, beating them in a convincing manner. She played her relaxed, beautiful tennis, and managed to win the title without dropping a set.

Because she is such a modest person, the Romanian is not an immediate stand-out, although her performances would entitle her to assume a more prominent position in women's tennis. To me, the most amazing thing about Halep is her effortless display. When she is playing she has such an ease, such a naturalness about her that makes it a pleasure to watch she. Her consistently good results proved she is no fluke, so I expect to see and hear more of her in the future. I am positive she will reach higher heights next season. 

Although she started her assault too late to really stand a chance of qualifying for the Season-Ending Championships in Istanbul, Simona has qualified for the Tournament of Champions in Sofia starting next week. Considering the solid form she showcased in the last couple of months, I wouldn't be surprised to see the Romanian run away with that title also. 

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Pennetta Restores Italian Order

Flavia Pennetta has been Italy's No.1 for a few years before a serious right wrist injury, cumulated with the rise of her compatriots, Francesca Schiavone, Sara Errani, and Roberta Vinci, saw her lose the spotlight. 

The first Italian female to break into the top 10 in singles in August 2009, as well as Italy's first ever world No.1 in doubles, Flavia suffered tremendously for not being able to play at her full potential lately. In the last seasons, which were plagued by injuries, she stood by and witnessed as her compatriots stole the limelight. Schiavone won Roland Garros in 2010 and made the final in 2011. Errani also made the final of the French Open last season, as well as the semis at Flushing Meadows. Even Roberta Vinci made the last eight in New York, in addition to claiming three Grand Slam doubles trophies with Errani, a performance that made them the world's best doubles team.

So while her compatriots were taking over the world, Flavia was sidelined, recovering from a recent wrist injury that forced her to miss last year's US Open. "I was at Brindisi, recovering from the operation and I was with my parents and watching some of the tennis on the television," she said. "I was pleased that Sara was having an excellent tournament but on the other hand I was very unhappy that I wasn't here." Lots of questions went through her mind, as she wondered when, and if, she would ever reach the same level as in the past. "I hoped I could do it. It didn't come so easy at the start of the year for me but of course I wanted to get back and I hoped I could," she confessed. 

When she lost the quarterfinal match to Kerber in 2011, I felt she missed her date with destiny. Having taken out Sharapova in the earlier rounds, Pennetta had a good chance of making the US Open final that year. However she succumbed to the unheralded German, letting a huge opportunity go by. I didn't think she would get a second chance, especially not at this edition, but she did. At her favourite tournament, Flavia came out guns and blazers to crush her higher-ranked compatriots, Errani and Vinci, as well as former champion, Svetlana Kuznetsova, and fabulous Romanian, Simona Halep, to reach her first Grand Slam semifinal. "These are the two most beautiful weeks of my life, I feel like a player again after all the problems that I've had," declared the Italian. "I feel great at the moment, New York is a place that is truly incredible for me, it is so full of good memories."

Flavia did get a bit lucky with the draw, but all credit goes to her for remaining focused and mentally tough to achieve this incredible feat. I do not believe she can overcome Azarenka to reach the final, but still she has plenty of reasons to be proud of herself and her great run: "I just try to keep working and working in the same way every day. I starting to feel more my forehand, my backhand. Everything starting to feel more normal in the way it was before the injury. And I think I've played really good tennis here, especially with Sara and with Kuznetsova. Every day has felt much better," she added. "I'm proud of myself now. I'm 31, and physically I feel good at last. I'm in my first semi-final in a Grand Slam. There is nothing else to say."

With 30s becoming the new 20s, the more experienced players are clearly dominating this year's US Open. Three of the four semifinalists are over 30, Azarenka being the only exception at 24. Congrats Flavia on an impressive run!

Flavia began her assault at the US Open by stunning her compatriot Sara Errani, seeded four, 6-3,6-1 in the second round. She followed up on the win with a 7-5,6-1 victory against former champion, Russian Svetlana Kuznetsova.

Probably the stiffest test came against hot-gun Romanian, Simona Halep, in the fourth round. The more experienced Flavia used all her wisdom to come through 6-2,7-6 to reach her fourth US Open quarterfinal.

Pennetta restored order in the Italian squad, dismissing higher ranked compatriot, Roberta Vinci, 6-4,6-1 to book her place in her first Grand Slam semifinal.

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There's No Stopping Fabulous Simona

By winning the girl’s singles title at Roland Garros in 2008, Simona Halep announced herself as a bright prospect of her generation. However, after a few years on the tour, the Romanian was yet to get her big breakthrough. A disastrous start to the season must have rang a bell though, as Simona turned it around almost overnight, going from someone ranked outside the top 50, to making her top 20 debut when she peaked at No.19 on Monday this week. 

A relatively late bloomer, Simona has been one of the hottest players of the summer having won her first four career titles in no more than three months. Since her dream run in Rome, where she came through qualies to beat Kuznetsova, Aga Radwanska and Jelena Jankovic to make her first Premier semifinal, the Romanian has found success on all surfaces, establishing herself as one of the finest all-rounders. She bagged two trophies on clay, Nürnberg and Budapest, one on grass, s'Hertogenbosch, as well as one on hard just last weekend.

After reaching the quarterfinals in Cincinnati where she succumbed to a flawless Serena Williams, Simona scored the biggest triumph of her career by claiming the title in New Haven. During an excellent week, Halep beat four-time titlist, Dane Caroline Wozniacki, in the semis, before disposing of defending champion, Czech Petra Kvitova, 6-2,6-2 in the final.

I think it is really strange how a few good matches can make such an enormous difference, but since that week in Rome, Halep seems a completely changed player. She is utterly aggressive, while still putting forth her sensational defense game, a lethal combinational for most of the world’s best. Victories over the likes of Radwanska, Jankovic, Stosur, Bartoli, Wozniacki, or Kvitova, attest the fact that the Romanian has found the golden recipe. 

For me the biggest transformation as far as Halep is concerned is her newly found mental strength. In the past, she would get a bit tight in key moments, play too safe, not take chances, ultimately allowing her opponent to dictate the play. This attitude would eventually cost her the match. Since Rome she is more composed out there on the court. She doesn't lose her head anymore, takes her chances and remains determined not to give in even when her opponent is raising her level. A good example was the match against Stosur in Cincinnati. Fresh off her triumph in Carlsbad, the Aussie produced a solid display to level at one set apiece. However, Simona kept her cool, and won the contest. Compared to another Romanian on the rise, Sorana Cirstea, Simona does not have an outstanding weapon. She does have consistency on her side though, and this helps her achieve such incredible results.

With only four losses in her last 35 matches, Halep is now setting her sights on the US Open, where she is seeded for the first time. Provided her body lasts, she could be in for a deep run into the last major of the season.

Nürnberg: Simona won her maiden WTA crown defeating home favourite Andrea Petkovic in the final.

s'Hertogenbosch: One week later, the Romanian found success on grass, overcoming soon-to-be Wimbledon semifinalist, Kristen Flipkens, to continue the winning run.

Budapest: After a tough loss to Na Li at Wimbledon, Simona regrouped by winning the title in the Hungarian capital. In the final she disposed of Austrian Yvonne Meusburger.

New Haven: Following victories over tricky opponents, Ekaterina Makarova and Carla Suarez-Navarro, Halep took out the Yale queen, four-time titlist, Dane Caroline Wozniacki in the semis.

New Haven: Simona was untouchable in the final against defending champion, Petra Kvitova, stunning the Czech 6-2,6-2 to claim her fourth title in no more than three months.

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