Fresh off the back of her defeat in the Rogers Cup final on Sunday, Simona Halep made it into the third round of Cincinnati on Wednesday with a win in three sets over Kristina Mladenovic, the final score reading 7-5 5-7 6-4.
Halep had never beaten her French opponent before, losing indoors in Paris last year and in Birmingham earlier this year, but she finally overcame the up and coming 22-year-old tonight, who reached a career high ranking of 35 just last month.
Halep starts well but has to battle for first set
The Romanian got off to a flyer on the night, breaking immediately before consolidating that advantage with a strong service game to take a 2-0 lead. She saw three break points in the following game, but was unable to extend her break to a double one and would rue these missed opportunities soon after when Mladenovic levelled the scores at 3-3.
The two exchanged breaks from here, with the next five games seeing the server lose. However, Halep was composed at the most crucial of moments, breaking to take an advantage in the match at 6-5 as she served for the set. She did this brilliantly too, serving it out to love to go a set up after 56 minutes, the score reading 7-5.
Mladenovic fights back in equally tight second set
The second set again witnessed plenty of breaks of serve in a very tight encounter. Halep looked to break early on as she eyed a straight set victory, but, despite seeing a chance to do so in the third game as she forced Mladenovic to deuce four times and saw one break point, it was the Frenchwoman who managed to take the lead when she broke in the following game to have the score read 3-1 in her favour.
Halep responded brilliantly, getting the set back on serve immediately before then breaking to go ahead at her next chance and, with the Romanian a set and a break up just one service game away from victory, the match looked all but done.
This was especially expected when Mladenovic served to stay in the encounter, Halep seeing a break and match point in another long game, but the 22-year-old battled through this and then broke immediately after, saving another match point in the process.
After saving a couple more break points, Mladenovic then broke in marvellous time as Halep served to stay in the set, taking her first chance to do so and taking the set in the process, forcing the match to go to a decider.
World number three more comfortable in final set as she takes the win
However, after such fantastic efforts in the second set, Mladenovic was the slow starter in the third and final set as Halep broke in the first game.
A more settled set then saw her maintain this lead throughout the next four games, and, when she did eventually lose it as her French opponent levelled at 3-3 by breaking to love, the Romanian retook the lead immediately, before comfortably seeing off anymore challenges to finally take the match, the final set finishing 6-4.
Halep delighted with victory
Speaking after 10 minutes short of three hours on court, via WTA Tennis, Halep said that she knew the match today "would be difficult" since she has "played two times before against [Mladenovic] and she beat [her]" on both occasions, but the world number three said she "just tried everything to win" today.
Halep expressed her frustration with being "up the whole match" but unable to "finish the second set," yet admitted she "tried to stay focused for every ball" and believes that the two "played a really good match" against each other, saying that her opponent "was playing some really good tennis."
The victor will face either Andrea Petkovic or Camila Giorgi in the next round, with the two to play on court later tonight.