Simona Halep is living up to her status as the only former Grand Slam champion left in this year’s women’s draw.
The Romanian beat fourth-seeded Paula Badosa 6-1, 6-2 on Centre Court on Monday to return to the Wimbledon quarterfinals and extend her winning streak at the All England Club to 11 matches.
Halep will next face 20th-ranked American Amanda Anisimova, who ended Harmony Tan‘s time at Wimbledon with a 6-2, 6-3 victory. The 115th-ranked Tan, from France, had become one of the toasts of the tournament after a remarkable run that included ousting seven-time Wimbledon champion Serena Williams in the first round.
It is Anisimova’s first Grand Slam quarterfinal since the semis at the French Open in 2019, when she also beat Tan along the way. Anisimova, 20, lost in the first round of Wimbledon last year.
The 16th-seeded Halep won the title in 2019 but missed last year’s edition with a left calf injury, while the 2020 tournament was canceled because of the pandemic. This was, however, Halep’s first win over a top-five ranked player on grass.
“I worked really hard in the past two, three months. I’m really happy with all that I’ve done,” Halep said. “I got the confidence. I really feel this is my game. I’m pushing myself to do it as much as possible. I want to improve still.”
The former No. 1, who also won the French Open in 2018, has yet to drop a set in this year’s tournament and consistently got the better of Badosa in the baseline rallies. She finished with only nine unforced errors and saved the only break point she faced.
“I was just missing,” Badosa said. “Some days it goes in the line. And some days, like today, all of them go out.”
Simona Halep, 30, has said the injury made her consider retirement. There doesn’t seem to be any thought of that now.
“It means a lot that I’m back in a quarterfinals after I struggled so much with injuries and self-confidence,” Halep said. “But, as I said, I’m working hard every day. I feel like if I do that, I will get better. Actually I’m really happy with the way I’m playing. I’m really confident. It’s a pleasure to be on court.”
