This week we’ll find out whether Simona Halep will finally make a debut in the world’s top ten after the WTA’s “Most Improved Player” reached the quarterfinals of the Australian Open 2014 tournament. Halep defeated former top-ranked Jelena Jankovic 6-4, 3-6, 6-0 to earn her first Grand Slam quarterfinal at the Australian Open.
Halep has accumulated enough points to overtake Caroline Wozniacki in the tenth position in the rankings. However, she will have to wait as 14th-seed Ana Ivanovic and 20th seed Dominika Cibulkova are still in the tournament (in the quarterfinals) and could overtake the Romanian with better finishes in Melbourne.
“For me, it’s more important to beat top players, because you believe more in your chance to be top 10,” Halep said in a pre-tournament interview with Sydney Morning Herald a week ago. ”My dream is to be top 10, but it will be difficult.”
“I was a little bit tired after first set. I don’t know why. But my energy was very down. After that, at 5?2 I said that I have to lose the set and to try to come back for the third one. I was to the bathroom, and I was a little bit ready to play third set. I said that I have nothing to lose. It’s my chance to fight for every point and for the match, for my dream. I did really well. I was very aggressive in third set and I hit the ball,” the world number 11 said after the match.
Halep will next face Dominika Cibulkova of Slovakia in the quarterfinals. Cibulkova made waves after ousting world number three Maria Sharapova earlier in the day.
