MIAMI GARDENS, Florida – Former world number one Simona Halep will return to tennis at the Miami Open, which begins on March 17, after winning her appeal of a doping suspension and having the penalty reduced from four years to nine months.
“Thank you to the tournament for giving me this opportunity and I cannot wait to be back on court and competing,” the two-time Grand Slam champion and former No. 1 player posted on social media. “See you all soon!”
The two-time Grand Slam singles champion was suspended last September by the International Tennis Integrity Agency (ITIA) after two separate doping infractions the previous year.
Halep, a 32-year-old from Romania, is allowed to resume her tennis career thanks to the decision in her favour announced recently by the Court of Arbitration for Sport.
She tested positive for a banned drug at the 2022 US Open and has not competed on tour since then. Halep argued to the court that her exposure to the substance came via a contaminated supplement.
While a three-judge panel determined that Halep bore “some level of fault or negligence” for not exercising “sufficient care” while using the supplement, it said “she bore no significant fault or negligence.” The ruling said “her anti-doping rule violations were not intentional.”
Halep won major championships at Wimbledon in 2019, by beating Serena Williams in the final, and at the French Open in 2018, by beating Sloane Stephens in the final.
“I’m thrilled to let you all know that I will be making my return to the WTA Tour in two weeks at the Miami Open!” Halep, who last played at the 2022 US Open, posted.
A two-time Miami Open semifinalist, Halep pushed Serena Williams to three sets before bowing 2-6, 6-4, 5-7 in the 2015 Miami semifinals played at Crandon Park on Key Biscayne.
Four years later, Halep reached the Miami final four at Hard Rock Stadium losing to Karolina Pliskova.
In Halep’s last Miami appearance, she defeated Caroline Garcia in the 2021 first round then conceded a walkover to Anastasija Sevastova.
Elsewhere, wild card Emma Raducanu booked her place in the second round of the BNP Paribas Open with a 6-2, 6-3 victory over qualifier Rebeka Masarova, advancing in 1 hour and 45 minutes.
Raducanu reached the fourth round of Indian Wells last year, her penultimate tournament before undergoing multiple wrist and ankle surgeries. This year, it marks her fifth event since returning to action in January.
The 2021 US Open champion has now reached the second round at four of those five events.
She will bid to go beyond that stage for the first time this year against Australian Open semifinalist and No.30 seed Dayana Yastremska.
Raducanu won their only previous meeting, in the first round of Portoroz 2022, after Yastremska was forced to retire trailing 6-2, 5-3 due to a right wrist injury.
Masarova’s defeats of Heather Watson and Linda Fruhvirtova in qualifying had marked the first time this year she had notched consecutive victories this year.
But the No.96-ranked Spaniard was unable to bring the same level against Raducanu, committing a plethora of unforced errors throughout.
Masarova’s backhand was particularly wayward, but towards the end of the first set she also gifted key errors to the Briton with a smash into the tramlines and a netted drop shot attempt.
Raducanu largely remained solid, and was able to raise her level when the occasion demanded it.
She fired her first winner of the match, a backhand down the line, to convert her fifth break point for a 3-0 double-break lead; and tightened her lead with a sumptuous drop shot-lob combination.
Raducanu also notched two key holds from 0-40 down — when serving out the first set, and when consolidating an initial break in the second.
The 21-year-old’s only significant weakness came in the form of eight double faults, three of which came in a single game in the first set.
But her return was on song — Raducanu held at least one break point in all but one Masarova service game — and she was able to keep her nose in front in both sets.
Targeting the Masarova backhand relentlessly, Raducanu converted her fourth match point as Masarova went long on that wing.
