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Former world No. 1 Simona Halep admitted she didn't really trust she could beat Viktorija Golubic but she was glad she managed to overcome the Swiss. Halep, now ranked at No. 20 in the world, beat world No. 43 Golubic 6-2 5-7 6-4 to reach the Melbourne Summer Set 1 semifinal.
“I didn’t really trust that I could win this match but I fought until the end. She played unbelievable. All the credit to her for this beautiful match," Halep admitted, per WTA Insider. “I felt like nothing was working today.
I fought w/ myself a lot today. It was difficult to control my emotions. She put me in this situation, she put pressure on me and it was really tough to deal with. If you want to win, you don’t have to go give up. I did that today."
Halep managed to avoid a surprise loss
Halep lost her serve twice in the first set but still easily won the opener as she broke Golubic four times during the first set.
After winning the first set, Halep started the second set with a 2-0 lead. Golubic broke back in the eighth game but Halep broke again in the ninth game to give herself a chance to serve out for the match. Golubic responded in style as she claimed back-to-back breaks to overturn the deficit and force a decider.
Halep then twice blew a break in the third set but managed to serve out for the match in the 10th game after claiming a third break in the set a game earlier. Next up fpr Halep will be Zheng Qinven. “When I was a junior my father would talk about her to me because she's quite a fighter," Qinven said.
"I'm just going to do my best tomorrow. I believe I have the level to win. Just don't look at the player, that it's Simona."