Former world number one Simona Halep went in into the second round of the Australian Open after defeating Poland’s Magdalena Fręch which saw a total of 11 service breaks in the entire match.
The 14th seeded Romanian who is fit again came into the Grand Slam full of confidence and energy after her first title in 16 months at the Melbourne Summer Set tournament this month.
She struggled to find her rhythm against the Polish national who is ranked 102 before winning the match 6-4,6-3 on Margaret Court Arena to keep her in the race for her third major title. It was proving to be a difficult start for her in the match but in the end, she won which would boost her confidence and get better and better as the tournament progresses.
Halep was the runner-up in the 2018 edition to Caroline Wozniacki and semi-finalist two years later after a short 2021 season due to injuries in her calf and knee. It wasn’t a convincing performance from both the ends of the court in this match with both of the players struggling to hold serve in the opening set of the match in the first round with Fręch breaking three times and Simona twice.
Eventually, Halep was in control of the rallies which were taking place and she won the set with a trademark backhand down the line.
In the second set, Halep won five games on a bounce to ensure the match and progress into the second round of the tournament where she will face American qualifier Katie Volynets or Beatriz Haddad Maia from Brazil.
