[CR5] Simona Halep (ROU) vs. [CR20] Timea Bacsinszky (SUI)
Bacsinszky had never beaten Halep before today; in fact she had never won a set from Halep. Halep got the early break in the first set but Bacsinszky fought back to even the set; yet, she could not hold on to the momentum and was broken a second time to lose the first set. The second set was a reversal of fortunes for Bacsinszky and she won it after Halep sunk into a mental funk.
The mood swings displayed by players are always interesting to observe. When the physical is weaker than the mental, a player will still be able to compete positively. The reverse is not true, when the mental is weaker than the physical, the player will struggle to compete positively. That is what happened today with Halep, who is well-known for letting negative thoughts distract her on court. Today it cost her as she folded mentally after winning the first set.
Despite having the better game, Halep could not sustain a level sufficiently high enough to derail the determined and confident Bacsinszky. Bacsinszky is into her first Premier Mandatory WTA semifinal of her career with the 4-6, 6-3, 6-2 defeat of Halep. This tournament continues to lose the big names; however, credit to Bacsinszky who had a well thought out plan of attack and executed it well enough to upset Halep. It is always shocking when the underdog wins; yet, that is another facet of sports that keeps the fans pinned to their seats. What was the probability that Bacsinszky would win this match?
