Romanian tennis player Simona Halep said that the feeling she has after the match she won on Wednesday, at the WTA 125 tournament in Hong Kong, cannot be described in words.

„Words can’t describe the feeling of being on the pitch and playing – and winning my first game after such a long time – in the sport I love. Thank you all for your support and love, it means everything to me,” Halep wrote on her Instagram account.

Halep had not won in professional tennis since July 2022, when she defeated Russian Anastasia Potapova, 6-4, 3-6, 6-3, in the first round in Cincinnati.

Simona Halep returned with a victory in the women’s professional circuit, 6-2, 4-6, 6-4, against Australian Arina Rodionova, on Wednesday, in the first round of the WTA 125 tournament in Hong Kong, equipped with total prizes of 115,000 US dollars, for which he received a wild card.

The former world leader achieved a hard-earned victory after two hours and 8 minutes of playing.

This was the first duel between Halep (33 years old), currently ranked 1,130 in the world, and Rodionova (34 years old, 114 WTA).

Halep had not played since May, when she was forced to abandon in the first round of the Trophee Clarins (WTA 125) in Paris, 7-5, 2-3, in the match with American McCartney Kessler.

Simona Halep, former double Grand Slam champion (Roland Garros and Wimbledon), was defeated by Spanish Paula Badosa, 1-6, 6-4, 6-3, on March 20, in the first round of the WTA tournament 1,000 in Miami (Florida), in her return to the professional circuit after his doping ban was reduced from four years to nine months.

Initially, Simona Halep’s return to the professional circuit after the injury in May was supposed to take place at the WTA 250 tournament in Hong Kong (October 28-November 3), for which she also received a wild card.

Halep secured a 2,000 US dollars cheque and 15 WTA points, and she is going to play in the round of 16 against Russian Ana Blinkova (26 years old, 78 WTA), the 2023 Transylania Open champion.

AGERPRES