Ecstasy and euphoria are the usual emotions world No1 Serena Williams experiences on a tennis court. Against Simona Halep, she was served up a different one – embarrassment.
One of the game's all-time greats, a winner of 18 grand slam singles crowns, 63 WTA titles, and four Olympic gold medals, Williams has become accustomed to success.
But on Singapore’s purple indoor hard court, Halep took her back 16 years to a time when, as a teenager, she was trying to make a name for herself.
Halep’s 6-0, 6-2 success in their Red Group clash at the WTA Finals was the worst defeat Williams had experienced since she was crushed 6-1, 6-1 by Joannette Kruger in the last eight at Oklahoma City in 1998.
Halep served well and pushed her opponent around the court, but Williams, by her own admission, was woeful.
“Yeah, my forehand was off today again. I guess it went on an early vacation,” a sombre and downbeat Williams told reporters. “Lord knows my serve was as well. My serve, I don’t even know. My serve was at best in the 10 and under division in juniors. It was actually embarrassing...”
Williams had shown no sign of what was to come on Monday when she repelled the challenge of Ana Ivanovic to start her campaign with a 6-4, 6-4 victory, her 16th consecutive win in the season-ending event she has won the last two years.
That was her first action since pulling out of the Wuhan Open because of illness then the China Open with a knee complaint earlier this month.
Characteristically, she didn’t blame the knee ailment for yesterday’s meltdown.
Looking forward
“I’m definitely not 100 per cent okay. I’m just here playing, but I’m not nowhere near 100 per cent. That has nothing to do with today’s match. I think Simona played really well and the best match of her career. To be quite frankly honest, I’m looking forward to our next meeting because she is making me go home and work hard and particularly train for her.”
Williams scrambled for a solution during their 65 minutes on court, shrieking at herself, jumping around in between points and going through at least four racquets to find something that worked to no avail.
She won just nine points as she suffered the ignominy of failing to pick up a single game in the first set, before finally holding serve in the ninth.
Struggling to get into the match, she managed to claw just one other game from the world No4-ranked Romanian, who she had beaten in their three previous meetings.
She will be back on court on Thursday hoping to prove that, as she takes on Eugenie Bouchard of Canada in her final round-robin game of the tournament with a place in the semi-finals at stake.
Ana Ivanovic recovered from her opening loss to race to a 6-1 6-3 victory over an out-of-sorts Bouchard, putting the world number seven back into the mix for a last-four berth.
“This is the beauty of the roundrobin system that I still had a chance. No matter what, I came out here today to try to enjoy the match after I had lost to her twice before,” Ivanovic said. “I knew she was confident coming into the match but I made sure I was aggressive and stepped in, so I am very pleased.”
