Garcia stuns new No. 1 Halep
Print Edition
UNSEEDED Caroline Garcia won her second title in as many weeks as she stunned new world No. 1 Simona Halep in the closely-fought final of the China Open in Beijing yesterday.
France’s Garcia is in the form of her life and edged out the Romanian second seed 6-4, 7-6 (3) to add the China Open to the Wuhan Open title she lifted last weekend, making it five WTA crowns in all.
Garcia’s feat was all the more remarkable because she was carrying a leg injury that has required frequent on-court treatment and completed a mammoth three-set quarterfinal win over third-seeded Elina Svitolina of Ukraine well past midnight on Friday evening.
The 23-year-old, who will rise from No. 15 to 9, sank to her knees on the hardcourt when she finally sealed victory in the second-set tie break.
“I was like, seriously, this really happened?” Garcia said afterwards, asked what was in her mind when she slumped to her knees. “It was such an amazing two weeks, it went so fast, I have the feeling I started these tournaments yesterday or two days ago. Even this morning I couldn’t believe I was in the final.”
With rain teeming down outside ahead of what turned out to be a cracker, a leak in the Diamond Court stadium roof had threatened to dampen proceedings. But that was soon fixed and there was little between the two players until Garcia broke Halep in the 10th game to grab the first set.
The 26-year-old Halep had the superior mobility — Garcia had her right thigh strapped — but the French player was making the better shots.
The second set was even more competitive and the attritional seventh game turned out to be a turning point.
Garcia was 0-40 down on her own serve until dragging it to 40-40 and then saving half a dozen break points before somehow winning the game to go 4-3 up. The duo raced into the tie break, but Garcia now had the momentum and she held her nerve.
The Frenchwoman became the first to complete the Wuhan and Beijing double and is now on track to qualify for the season-ending WTA Finals, as her win took her past Briton Johanna Konta to No. 8 in the Race to Singapore rankings.
Despite her disappointment Halep — thanks to reaching the final — will officially become world No. 1 for the first time when the latest rankings are out this week.
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