Romanian Simona Halep made her debut in the world’s top twenty after winning the Premier New Haven Open at Yale on Saturday. The young tennis star defeated defending champion Petra Kvitova 6-2, 6-2 of the Czech Repiblic to secure her first Premier title.
“I wasn’t thinking about the score, I was just hitting the ball, and my serves and returns were really good for me today. I don’t think she played her best tennis, but I played a really good match. I’m very happy,” she said after the match.
Halep has won 29 out of her past 34 matches which saw her winning a total of four titles (Nürnberg, ‘s-Hertogenbosch and Budapest).
“At the beginning of the year I didn’t think I’d get to the Top 20, but that was my dream, and now it’s real,” Halep said. “I just have to enjoy this moment. It’s unbelievable for me. I feel really, really good, just really, really great. I’m just enjoying every match and feeling so happy on the court now.”
Halep will have little time to rest or celebrate the victory as she’s heading to New York for the US Open 2013 Championships, a Grand Slam event that begins on Monday, August 26.
