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Simona Halep, who had previously celebrated her only victory on this court after returning from a doping ban, was defeated in straight sets by sixth seed Yuan Yue in the first round of the Hong Kong Tennis Open, losing 6-3 6-3.
Despite tallying 19 unforced errors compared to her 17 winners, Halep struggled to find her form on the court, while Yuan Yue, ranked world No. 45, hit 22 winners and made only 12 unforced errors. The Chinese player quickly recovered from a shaky start in the second set and won six consecutive games from 3-0 down to secure a spot in the second round of the WTA 250 tournament.
Former world No. 1 Halep, currently ranked No. 883, made her comeback in March after a nine-month doping suspension, but a left knee injury kept her out for an additional four months. She had recently won her first match since 2022 at the Hong Kong WTA 125 tournament, but struggled in this week’s WTA 250 Hong Kong event, her fourth tournament of the year.
Reflecting on her loss, Halep found comfort in her progress, stating, “Was not bad at all, but the opponent was playing really well and she had confidence. I would say I’m not happy with the way I played, but it’s much better than previous matches so I’m just taking the positives. Body is tired, but it’s normal because I had such a long break. It’s better than last time, so I take it as a positive.”
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