Melbourne Summer Set 1 2022: Simona Halep vs Elena-Gabriela Ruse preview, head-to-head & prediction
Match details
Fixture: (2) Simona Halep vs Elena-Gabriela Ruse
Date: 6 January 2022
Tournament: Melbourne Summer Set 1, 2022
Round: Round of 16
Venue: Melbourne, Australia
Category: WTA 250
Surface: Outdoor Hardcourt
Prize money: $239,477
Match timing: Not before 12.30 pm local time, 1:30 am GMT, 7 am IST
Live telecast: USA - Tennis Channel | UK - Amazon Prime Video
Simona Halep vs Elena-Gabriela Ruse preview
Second seed Simona Halep will take on young compatriot Elena-Gabriela Ruse in the second round of the Melbourne Summer Set 1 on Thursday. While Halep outlasted Australian qualifier Destanee Aiava 6-4, 6-2, Ruse clinched a 6-3, 6-2 win over Arina Rodionova in her opener.
After playing a truncated season due to prolonged injury issues, Halep will be looking forward to a confident run in her first tournament of 2022. The two-time Grand Slam champion missed Roland Garros and Wimbledon amongst other events last year and subsequently slipped to No. 20 in the world rankings.
The Romanian, who has been vocal about her goal of cracking the top 10 once again, will be keen to get enough matches under her belt this week ahead of the Australian Open.
Her second-round opponent, Elena-Gabriela Ruse, had a very successful 2021 season. The 24-year-old won her maiden career title in Hamburg before making a terrific run to the final in Palermo.
Halep hasn't lost to a Romanian since 2010, and Ruse will be looking forward to breaking her 14-0 streak on Thursday.
Simona Halep vs Elena-Gabriela Ruse head-to-head
The sole meeting between the duo took place last year at the Transylvania Open in Cluj-Napoca, where Halep notched a 6-2, 6-1 win. She thus leads the head-to-head against Ruse by a margin of 1-0.
Simona Halep vs Elena-Gabriela Ruse prediction
Simona Halep's superior ranking and WTA tour experience makes her a strong favorite for the match. The hard-hitting Elena-Gabriela Ruse will be looking to shorten the exchanges and play first-strike tennis against her compatriot.
While she might not be amongst the strongest servers in the game, Halep's serve placement and accuracy tend to give her the edge in matches.
Ruse, on her part, is often prone to leaking excessive double faults. In her first-round match against Arina Rodionova, she conceded six double faults and brought just 54% of first serves into play.
If the former World No. 1 stays aggressive during the rallies and serves well, she should be able to prevail.
Prediction: Simona Halep to win in straight sets.