Greet Minnen Advances to Second Round of WTA Miami without Playing; Simona Halep Suffers Defeat in Comeback Match Post Doping Suspension

© AFP

Despite her defeat against the American Claire Liu (WTA-114) in the second qualifying round, Greet Minnen (WTA-79) is still on the main draw of the Miami Open (8,770,480).

The 26-year-old from Kempen was picked up as a lucky loser and because she took the place of the sick Barbora Krejcikova (WTA-21), she is also free in the first round. In the next round, Minnen will face the Ukrainian Lesia Tsurenko (WTA-40). She eliminated the Polish Magda Linette (WTA-55) on Tuesday with 2-6, 6-1 and 6-4. Minnen played against Tsurenko once before. In 2020, she won 3-6, 6-4 and 6-1 against the 34-year-old Ukrainian in the qualifications for Doha.

Elise Mertens (WTA-28) can also go straight to the second round as the 25th seed. Her opponent will be the American Taylor Townsend (WTA-72), who defeated the Italian Lucia Bronzetti (WTA-49) 3-6, 6-3 and 6-4. It will be the first meeting between the 28-year-old from Limburg and the one year younger American.

Simona Halep suffers defeat in comeback after doping suspension

Former world number one Simona Halep lost her first match in more than a year and a half in the opening round of the Miami Open on Tuesday. The 32-year-old Romanian, who was allowed to participate in the tournament in Florida with a wild card after her doping suspension, had to give up 1-6, 6-4 and 6-3 to the Spanish Paula Badosa (WTA) in 1 hour and 58 minutes. -80).

In the second round, Badosa is presented with a major match with second seed Aryna Sabalenka (WTA-2). According to the organization, the Belarusian is planning to play that match after the death of her partner Konstantin Koltsov.

For Halep, it was the first match after the International Tennis Integrity Agency (ITIA) imposed a suspension on her in September last year until the end of 2026 for a positive test for the banned product roxadustat, closely related to EPO, and some irregularities in her biological passport. Halep attributed the positive test to a contaminated nutritional supplement and the abnormal blood values ​​to a surgical procedure and went to TAS, which reduced the suspension to nine months.

Halep, who has two Grand Slams to her name with Roland Garros 2018 and Wimbledon 2019, could not yet place herself on the honors list in Miami. Semi-finals in 2015 and 2019 are her best results.

Halep — © Getty Images via AFP

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