Simona Halep advances in 2021 Melbourne Summer

MELBOURNE, Australia -- In her opening WTA match of 2021, Simona Halep started off her season superbly.

The No.1 seed at the Gippsland Trophy faced a tough test from Russia’s Anastasia Potapova in their first meeting before ultimately prevailing 6-4, 6-4, and claiming a spot in the round of 16 at the WTA 500 event.

"I needed this victory, because I didn’t play an official match since October of last year, so it’s been a long time," a smiling Halep said, during her on-court post-match interview. "I just wanted to feel the court, feel the game. I knew that it was going to be a difficult match, [Potapova] hits very strong