World No.1 Simona Halep knocked out of Wuhan Open
Simona Halep
World number one Simona Halep was defeated in straight sets by Dominika Cibulkova at the Wuhan Open in China.
The sparse crowd watching the late-night clash was stunned as Halep failed to win a single game against the hard-hitting Cibulkova in the first set.
The French Open champion had suffered a back injury during a practice session and despite two days bed rest she failed to fully recover for her opening match in Wuhan against the 31st-ranked Cibulkova.
However, she had put up a strong fight in the second set, breaking Cibulkova's serve three times before eventually succumbing 7-5.
"It was tough at the beginning to play... (but) I didn't want to (retire) and I just pushed myself to play better and better," Halep said.
Even with the injury, "I was close in the second set, so this match just gives me confidence that my level is really, really good", said the top seed.
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Halep, playing her first match since her early exit from the US Open last month, added that she expects to recover from the back injury in a few days.