Simona Halep’s tale of endurance and fortitude at Australian Open 2018 could well turn out to be the story of the tournament.
The world No.1 continued her progression with a masterful 6-3 6-2 win over Japanese rising star Naomi Osaka on Monday to reach the quarterfinals at Melbourne Park for the first time in three years.
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You could argue the world No.1 has no business still being alive in the event.
She trailed 5-2 in the first set of her first-round match against Australia’s Destanee Aiava, and wrenched her ankle before somehow sealing a straight-sets win. Still carrying the injury into the third round, she survived three match points against a gallant Lauren Davis before triumphing 15-13 in a third-set epic.
“It's sore. I felt the pain. It's not recovered. It's impossible to recover after. After this match I think tomorrow is gonna be worse,” Halep said, forebodingly, about her ankle.
That near four-hour battle set up a fourth-round encounter with Osaka, with many tipping the prodigiously powerful 20-year-old to upend the top seed.
Yet Halep arrived at Margaret Court Arena and played her best match of the tournament, looking remarkably fresh and moving better than in her previous rounds to record a commanding victory.
"Maybe I get used to the pain and I'm not thinking that much that something can happen. Just taking every point. I'm trying to play 100 per cent, which I was close (to) today, to run normal and to run a lot," Halep said. "But I still feel it. It's there, but I can handle it."
Monday’s match was closer than the scoreline suggested. For the first five games, the two women probed and tested one another from the baseline, with each holding serve.
The intensity of the contest cranked up in game six. Facing game point, Osaka smacked two winners to bring up a break point – one of three she held in the game – before missing a forehand into the tape. The game would extend for five deuces before Halep eventually held for 3-3.
It was a huge moment. The Romanian then went on to win seven of the next eight games, defending brilliantly and consistently placing the ball deep to prevent Osaka from controlling the points with her blistering groundstokes.
But this wasn’t a case of Halep simply counterpunching until Osaka sprayed a shot. She was aggressive too, picking exactly the right moments to attack and jerking the Japanese around with changes of direction and wrong-footing shots. Her willingness to move forward and swipe swinging volleys was impressive – she would finish the match winning eight of her nine trips to net.
Osaka, playing for the first time in the last 16 at a Grand Slam tournament, did her best to disrupt Halep’s rhythm, departing with convention and throwing up a high ball in the seventh game. But Halep, with fleet footwork, danced around her backhand and played a forehand, on the rise, up the line for a winner and a 5-2 lead.
The winners continued to flow. Halep played a backhand up the line for deuce, forced an error from Osaka with a deep return to reach match point, and played an inside-out forehand return winner to seal victory.
"First thing that I did very well was that I stayed every ball there. I knew that she can come back. She did two times in a row when I played against her when I won the first set. I knew that every ball is important. If I take the lead in the second set more, then I'm going to break her a little bit physically and also mentally. So I did it well," Halep summarised.
"I moved her. I stayed there. I tried just not to miss that much. I tried also to push her back, which I did. She couldn't dominate the game. I did, I dominated. I went to the net a lot. I finished the point when I felt that it's time."
For a player who, over the years, has had her mental strength and fighting qualities questioned, Halep is providing resounding answers this fortnight.
Either Karolina Pliskova or Barbora Strycova awaits in the quarterfinals.
"I didn't expect to do quarterfinals. I didn't expect also to stop the tournament, even if I was injured. I had nothing clear in my head. I just went on court, take match by match," Halep said.
"The match against Davis was huge for me, maybe gave me a little bit more confidence that my body is okay and I can resist to the tough matches. Now I'm more confident."