Athlete of the Week on RRI - Tennis player Simona Halep

The tennis tournament in Wimbledon this year has once again confirmed Simona Halep is currently Romania's top tennis player. She is the only Romanian representative to reach the women's singles quarterfinals, considering our country had a total of seven players in the main draw. For reaching this phase of the competition, we have designated Simona Halep Athlete of the Week on RRI.

At Wimbledon, Simona Halep was seeded 11th in the women's singles. In the first round, she eliminated Karolina Muchova of the Czech Republic, 6-3, 6-2. She then took on Kirsten Flipkens of Belgium, whom she defeated 7-5, 6-4. In the third round, Simona knocked out Magdalena Frech of Poland, 6-4, 6-1. In the round of 16, Simona Halep took on Paula Badosa of Spain, winning the match in straight sets, 6-1, 6-2. Simona has thus reached 11 consecutive wins in Grand Slam competitions on grass court. Her winning streak started in 2019, when she won the Wimbledon tournament. The 2020 edition was canceled due to the Covid pandemic, then in 2021 Simona didn't participate due to an injury.

Simona Halep was born September 27, 1991 in Constanța. She made her debut in professional tennis in 2006, when she played her first matches in the ITF circuit. In 2010 she was listed in the WTA Top 100. In 2014, in August, she was ranked 2nd in WTA standings, the highest position ever held by an athlete from Romania at the time. Three years later, in October 2017, she became world no. 1, a position she held until January 2018. She reclaimed the top position later that year in February, and remained world leader until the end of the Australian Open in January 2019. She was ranked 1st for 64 weeks. Simona Halep has won two Grand Slam tournaments: Roland Garros in 2018 and Wimbledon in 2019. (VP)