Romania's tennis player Simona Halep has said that winning her first-round match of the Australian Open in just two sets has made her more confident.
Halep outclassed Magdalena Frech 6-4, 6-3 in the first round and she will now take on Brazil's Beatriz Haddad Maia in the second round on Thursday.
"Well yeah it's great to have some matches won in the first week here in Melbourne. The confidence is pretty high. I feel good on court, I feel that I have worked a lot in the off season and I feel ready to play some tough matches. The first-round match was not maybe the best tennis that I could play but there was a good match and the fact that I could win in two sets made me more confident and made me more happy," Halep said on Extraaa Serve on Sony Sports Network during the ongoing Australian Open 2022.
When asked about how motivated she gets by the support from Indian fans, Halep said: "I want just to thank them for the support. I know because I see on social media that they support me. I have never been in India but one day probably I will get there. So, thank you guys and hope to see you."
Halep also talked about how she looks at every match as a different challenge and how that holds her in good stead.
"Well, I think every match is in that direction. At this level, everyone is playing well and at the Grand Slam, everyone is fighting more than normal. So, I expect big challenge in every match I play," said Halep.
Earlier on Wednesday, India's Sania Mirza along with her Ukrainian partner Nadiia Kichenok suffered an opening-round loss in the women's doubles event of the ongoing Australian Open.
Kaja Juvan and Tamara Zidansek of Slovenia defeated Mirza and Kichenok 6-4, 7-6 in the opening round to march ahead in the ongoing Grand Slam.
( With inputs from ANI )
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