Wimbledon champion Simona Halep saved a match point in the second set and then powered to a rousing comeback victory over Canadian sensation Bianca Andreescu at the WTA Finals on Monday.
The No 5 seed prevailed with a gruelling 3-6, 7-6 (8/6), 6-3 win in two hours and 34 minutes at the Shenzhen Bay Sports Centre.
Andreescu, who at 19 is the youngest player in the draw, had a match point in the 12th game of the second set but was unable to convert and fell away after that.
Halep moved top of the Purple Group alongside defending champion Elina Svitolina who earlier beat No 2 seed Karolina Pliskova 7-6 (14/12), 6-4 in one hour and 53 minutes.
“Today it was a challenge because she’s 10 years younger than me,” Halep told reporters. “It was a good fight. I’m happy about my victory.”
There has been much attention on Andreescu since she beat Serena Williams in the US Open final and she started confidently in her first appearance at the season-ending showpiece.
In a matchup of the past two Grand Slam champions, Andreescu dictated early from the baseline and ruthlessly pounced on Halep’s tentative serve to break three times in a dominant opening set.
It was a see-saw in the second set with both players struggling to hold serve before Halep produced her best when it mattered most to force a deciding set.
