The Romanian’s first Wimbledon title victory captured attention around the world as she beat Serena Williams in straight sets. Here’s the best of the media reaction following the SW19 final.
Serena Williams was favoured to claim her 24th Slam but it was Simona Halep who left with the trophy on Saturday afternoon. The Romanian lifted the Venus Rosewater Dish for her second Grand Slam success, following her French Open triumph a year ago.
Halep’s superb display captued the attention of fans and media alike. Here’s how tennis writers saw Saturday’s match:
“Halep
was the portrait of focus and positive energy — just as Angelique
Kerber was in last year’s Wimbledon final. Williams hit just two aces,
both in the second set after the final was already tilting heavily in
Halep’s favor. Halep served uncommonly well and reached shots and serves
that other women whom Williams played at the All England Club were
unable to reach.”
Christopher Clarey, New York Times
READ MORE: Halep stuns Serena to win Wimbledon title
“Against
the scuttling, quick-witted Halep, Williams showed clear signs of
fatigue. When she plays like this, Halep is a brick wall, and a partisan
crowd became desperate, searching for ways that Williams could impose
herself on the match”
Tim Lewis, The Guardian
“Whatever
Serena did, Halep had the answer. Yes, she ran everything down, and
only made three unforced errors, but she also forced Serena to hit from
uncomfortable positions, over and over again. She defended offensively,
and made hitting on the dead run look easy. Halep, who spent the
majority of her Friday practice hitting returns, read Serena’s serve
well and held her to just two aces.“
Steve Tignor, tennis.com
“The
Romanian carved out another opportunity with some breathtaking
ball-striking. Finding the lines with some fearless groundstrokes, Halep
claimed another break to storm to her 4-0 lead. Halep’s extraordinary
speed and counter-punching under pressure delivered her the first set in
26 minutes. With two more breaks in the second set, the match was all
over in less than an hour.”
Sydney Morning Herald
SEE MORE: Relive the best images from Halep’s triumph over Serena
“Halep
ripped into her from the start. It was evident even from the second
point of the match, when Halep whipped a cross-court forehand past
Williams at the net and made it look very easy, that this was not going
to be the cakewalk for the seven-times champion many had expected. Halep
played beautifully but Williams contributed to her own downfall with a
slew of unforced errors.”
Oliver Holt, Mail on Sunday
Fellow players and commentators continued to shower Simona with praise, congratulating the Romaninan on her stunning display on Centre Court. Mark Selby, one of Halep’s favorite sportsmen, also got invovled.
