One more match and the champion of the singles event in the Canadian Open 2022 would be crowned.
Beatriz Haddad Maia has been a revelation while the two-time Grand Slam winner Simona Halep has been exemplary with her defensive game.
The Romanian veteran began the year with a bang with a win in the Melbourne Summer Series 1. Simona Halep failed to cross the semi-final hurdle on five occasions since then. However, she has finally broken the jinx and reached the final and is one step away from calling herself a three-time champion at the Canadian Open.
Halep didn’t drop a single set in her first four matches at the competition. She won against Donna Vekic, Zhang Shuai, Jil Teichmann, and Coco Gauff convincingly. The 30-year-old faced a stern challenge from Jessica Pegula in the semifinal. The American won the first set but a dogged display from Halep helped her win the match 2-6, 6-3, 6-4.
The whole of Brazil will be praying for the 26-year-old as she aims to win her first title at a WTA 1000 event. She has been slaying giants throughout the competition.
She ousted home favorite Leylah Fernandez and went on to register her first win against a top-ranked player when she defeated Iga Swiatek in the round of 16. In the quarterfinal, she won against Tokyo Olympics gold medalist Belinda Bencic. The semifinal opponent for the Brazilian was the 14th seed Karolina Pliskova. Haddad Maia won the match in straight sets to book a date with Halep in the all-important final.
Simona Halep leads the head-to-head 2-1. Two of the three meetings have come in Grand Slams. The Romanian won the first two matches but Haddad Maia defeated her at the Birmingham Classic.
The dream run has been fun to watch. However, defeating a rampaging Simona Halep will not be an easy task. We are expecting Simona Halep to win in three sets.
Prediction: Simona Halep
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