Simona Halep beat Coco Gauff 6-4, 7-6(2) in of the most exciting matches in the quarterfinals of the National Bank Open.
The match was full of shot-making and the former World No.1 was put through her paces to fend off the powerhouse that is the 18-year-old Gauff. At one point, Gauff served Halep a serve that clocked in at 198 km/hour.
The match lasted an hour and 47 minutes. Fans gave both players a standing ovation after the incredible match. It was clearly a meeting between two equally matched players. A reminder of how good Halep is and another example of the potential Guaff has.
Halep recognized that it is not easy going head to head with Gauff.
“She served super strong”, Halep said. “And I fought for every point, which it was really important because shes doing the same thing,”
She also added, “It’s never easy against her.”
This is not the first time that Halep has gone up against Gauff but it is the closest that the teen has come to defeating her.
“She hits stronger,” Halep said. “I think she improved a lot since we played last time. But as I said at the start, its always tough against her.”
“And you never know, because shes fighting until the end. And actually, she doesn’t give you a point. So you have to stay there and fight.”
Match Highlights:
Halep has won the National Bank Open twice and shes now just two wins away from another title. Next on her opponent list is American player Jessica Pegula who is seventh-seeded.
When speaking of her upcoming semifinal match, she said, “But as I always say, I will focus on myself and I will just fight for the match as I did here every time.”
She also compared her current self to the player that she was when she won the same tournament four years ago.
“I’m a better player,” she said.
This helps me and gives me the confidence to work hard and to look forward to the next tournament. And just to fight for every match I play.”
