Simona bounces back to book semifinals spot in Dubai

Down a set for the second consecutive match, top seed Simona Halep pulled off another Houdini act to reach the semifinals of the Dubai Duty Free Tennis Championships.

Just about 24 hours after authoring a great escape against Tunisia’s Ons Jabeur – by saving a match point in one of the most dramatic matches of the season so far – Halep found herself a set down against another in-form opponent in Belarus’ Aryna Sabalenka.

The 3-6, 6-2, 6-2 result flipped the script of the pair’s last meeting – a straight-sets victory for the Belarusian in the quarterfinals of the Adelaide International.

I think I started to play a little bit stronger in the second set and find rhythm. It’s always tough to play against her because she’s very strong and hits the ball really, really hard, so I had to play faster, be quicker on court and give everything I had to win.

Halep is back in the Dubai semifinals for the first time since 2015.

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Photo © WTA

 

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