Miami Open: Simona Halep’s comeback ends in defeat

Simona Halep tennis comeback after a year and half absence ended on a sad note as Paula Badosa came back to defeat the Romanian 1-6, 6-4, 6-3 on Tuesday at the Miami Open.

The two-time Grand Slam singles champion and former World No.1 looked fit but seemed to wear down as the match wore on. Late in the third set, sitting in the changeover chair, she covered her head with a towel.

Halep scored the first breakthrough nine minutes into the match. On break point, she opened up the court, then blasted a backhand crosscourt winner to take a 2-1 lead. The fans holding several Romanian flags cheered wildly.

Halep finished with 10 double faults and saved seven of 11 break points.

“I missed this,” Halep said at the beginning of a well-attended press conference. “I had emotions, but positive emotions, the crowd supporting me so nice. The level of tennis was pretty good — unexpected for most of the people.

“I think I did a good job today. I’m happy with my first match coming back. I would rate it as a special day, honestly.”

Badosa, ranked No.80, has been struggling with injuries. She’s now 5-5 for the year.

For Halep, she returned from an 18-month absence from the Hologic WTA Tour.

Two weeks ago, the Court of Arbitration for Sport (CAS), the top court for global sport, reduced her ban from tennis to nine months — essentially, time served. After the ruling, Halep accepted a wild card from Miami Open tournament director James Blake.

Last week, she began practicing in Miami and posted an Instagram story.

“Feels like I never left,” Halep wrote, adding a winking emoji. “First day back, thank you @miamiopen.”

Halep was asked if she had set goals for this comeback.

“Very early,” she said. “Actually, I didn’t know what to expect from the decision and I didn’t plan anything. I said I’m going to wait, then plan. The love for tennis brought me here. I came here and I felt again the love for sport.

“I am going home and I will need to practice harder because the level is very high these days. Tennis is very powerful, I was a little worried about how I was going to handle it. But it was not that bad. It’s just the first match.”

Elsewhere, Diana Shnaider ended Venus Williams’ record 22nd appearance at the Miami Open in the first round, defeating the three-time champion 6-3, 6-3 in 1 hour and 19 minutes.

The contest was one of many contrasts. Williams, 43, is the oldest player in the 2024 main draw; Shnaider, 19, is one of six teenagers contesting it this year. Williams was playing her 85th main-draw match in Miami, another tournament record (this time, joint with sister Serena); Shnaider was playing her first, having fallen in the first round of qualifying to Laura Siegemund on her debut last year.

Shnaider will next face another American, No.17 seed Madison Keys, in the second round, where she will bid for her third career Top 20 win.