There was no sign of a break point until the ninth game of the first set, which is when Halep broke Giorgi before serving it out. The second set turned out to be a see-saw affair; the 12th seed failed to convert two match points on serve, after which Giorgi forced a tiebreak.
But Halep eventually kept her calm to sneak out a straight-sets victory.
In her post-match press conference, the Romanian talked about her nerves while struggling to serve out the match late in the second set. Halep did serve remarkably throughout the rest of the match though, striking six aces and winning 83% of the points on first serve.
The 29-year-old revealed that she had practiced her serve during the injury-induced hiatus and that she’s happy to see the shot improving.
Simona Halep also gave an update on her recent injury, which she claimed is still present. A tear in the adductor had forced the Romanian to withdraw from the Cincinnati event, and she had her thigh taped in her first round match on Monday as well.
Halep was later asked for her thoughts on World No. 1 and Wimbledon champion Ashleigh Barty. The 29-year-old heaped praise on Barty’s ability to stay calm every time she plays, before acknowledging her comprehensive skill-set.
“I rushed being ready for Wimbledon, because I wanted to play badly” - Simona Halep
Simona Halep further opened up on how her health has been her biggest challenge this season. Halep sustained a tear in the calf muscle during the Italian Open in May, and on Monday she admitted she had never faced such an injury before and so didn’t know how to handle it.
In hopes of pursuing her Wimbledon title defense, the Romanian even traveled to SW19 in July. However, she eventually had to withdraw to give herself more recovery time.
Halep expressed her regret for rushing her body to get back on the court.
Simona Halep will take on lucky loser Kristina Kucova in the second round of the 2021 US Open on Wednesday.
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