SM
Brighton vs. Man City: 2 hrs 24 mins
Upcoming predictions and previews

Simona Halep: 'I have my chance to win against Serena Williams'

:Headline: Simona Halep: 'I have my chance to win against Serena Williams': ID:364738: from db_amp
The Romanian has won one grand slam.

Simona Halep is confident she can upset the odds against Serena Williams and land a first Wimbledon title.

The numbers do not stack up in the Romanian's favour ahead of Saturday's final, with Williams gunning for an eighth title and a record-equalling 24th grand slam singles win.

Halep has one grand slam to her name, the French Open last year, and has beaten Williams only once in 10 meetings, losing the last six.

Williams, 37, was close to her ruthless best when dispatching Barbora Strycova 6-1 6-2 in the semi-final.

But Halep was almost as impressive in her 6-1 6-3 win over Elina Svitolina and the seventh seed says she is ready to grasp her big opportunity.

She said: "Everything is possible. That's why I started to believe more that even if I play on grass, I have my chance to win.

  • Aliaksandra Sasnovich - first round
  • Mihaela Buzarnescu - second round
  • Victoria Azarenka - third round
  • Cori Gauff - fourth round
  • Shuai Zhang - quarter-final
  • Elina Svitolina - semi-final

"I'm in the final, so I will not put pressure on myself. I just want to plan how I have to play in the final, and then enjoy.

"I'm desperate to win Wimbledon more than to stop her. I will focus on myself. I'm not thinking about her record. Of course, her records are huge already.

"But it's not about that. It's just a tennis match, a big challenge, a great match. So I will try just to give my best."

Halep's only success against Williams was a 6-0 6-2 win in the round-robin stages of the 2014 WTA Finals in Singapore.

PA Graphics

Yet that defeat still rankles the American, who is taking nothing for granted as she attempts to pull level with Margaret Court's record tally of grand slam titles.

"There's so many impressive things about her," said Williams.

"I think obviously her tenacity. I think her ability to improve every time, just to keep improving. Her ability to find power. You can't underestimate her. She's like a little powerhouse.

“Everything is possible. That's why I started to believe more that even if I play on grass, I have my chance to win”
- Simona Halep

"She finished the year as number one twice in a row. I feel like she's back. She wants to prove that she can do it again.

"I think the biggest key with our matches is the loss that I had. I never forgot it. She played unbelievable.

"That makes me know that level she played at, she can get there again. So I have to be better than that."

amp_article__364738 : Database Data restored...  : 
last updated article - 2019-07-12 12:57:02:
html db last update - 2021-03-09 22:54:21 :

ex - 7200 : read : read cache amp html

Click here for more stories about Simona Halep

Share this article now:
Recommended Next on SM
Premier League Table
TeamPWDLFAGDPTS
1Arsenal34245582265677
2Liverpool34228475344174
3Manchester CityMan City32227376324473
4Aston Villa34206871502166
5Tottenham HotspurSpurs32186865491660
6Manchester UnitedMan Utd33165125150153
7Newcastle UnitedNewcastle331551369541550
8West Ham UnitedWest Ham34139125463-948
9Chelsea32138116157447
10Bournemouth34129134960-1145
11Brighton & Hove AlbionBrighton321111105250244
12Wolverhampton WanderersWolves34127154654-843
13Fulham34126165054-442
14Crystal Palace34109154456-1239
15Brentford3498175259-735
16Everton34118153648-1233
17Nottingham ForestNott'm Forest3479184260-1826
18Luton TownLuton3467214775-2825
19Burnley3458213769-3223
20Sheffield UnitedSheff Utd3437243392-5916
Scroll for more - Tap for full version


Sports Mole provides in-depth previews and predictions for every match from the biggest leagues and competitions in world football.
AL
Sign up for our FREE daily preview newsletter direct to your inbox!

Loading ...

Failed to load data.



. . . . . . . . . . . . . . .