Simona Halep Wins 2015 BNP Paribas Open

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Romania’s Simona Halep won the 2015 BNP Paribas Open with a 2-6,7-5, 6-4 win over Serbia’s Jelena Jankovic in Indian Wells, Cal. on March 22

Romania’s Simona Halep won the 2015 BNP Paribas Open with a 2-6,7-5, 6-4 win over Serbia’s Jelena Jankovic in Indian Wells, Cal. on March 22. It was Halep’s third title this year.

Simona Halep is the 2015 BNP Paribas Open champion.

Halep secured her third crown of 2015 with a 2-6, 7-5, 6-4 triumph over Jelena Jankovic in the BNP Paribas Open women’s finale in Indian Wells, Ca., per The New York Times’ Ben Rothenberg. Hundreds of Romanian fans waving their national flag were in attendance to cheer Halep on.

Halep overcame a toe injury to beat Jankovic, the 2010 tournament winner, per Leighton Ginn of the BNP Paribas Open’s official website. Her path to the finals was anything but easy: she had to beat Daria Garilova in three sets in the second round, Varvara Lepchenko in the next round and Carla Suarez Navarro in the quarterfinals. No.1-seeded Serena Williams had to withdraw in the semis due to an injured knee.

Simona Halep beat Jelena Jankovic 2-6 7-5 6-4 in an enthralling final at Indian Wells. Report http://t.co/IuEKsTUwd5 pic.twitter.com/W106z10ovc— BBC Sport (@BBCSport) March 22, 2015

Halep told Rothenberg in the match’s aftermath she was surprised to win the crown because she felt she was not at her best. She also added she didn’t like her effort against Ekaterina Makarova in the Australian Open women’s quarterfinals match two months ago:

“I don’t know how I won today, because I didn’t play my best. I didn’t play, like, good tennis but I just wanted to fight ’til the end because I think that this is the most important thing for my style, for myself.

“I was disappointed after that match. I said I will fight ’til the end always. That was the last match where I didn’t fight. So that made me more confident that I can.

“In Australia, I think I played good tennis, but I couldn’t fight. So for me, the most important thing, like I said, is just to have this feeling to fight ’til the end. This tournament gives me a lot of confidence that I can be there, that I can win every tournament, so now I have more confidence that I can win a Grand Slam. But still I am very far; I just want to keep this goal in my mind.”

.@BNPParibasOpen=Big Tournament=BigTrophy! Just ask @Simona_Halep! VIDEO–> http://t.co/4qVB2zbkoz #WTA #tennis pic.twitter.com/rwZN1TbpE3— WTA (@WTA) March 23, 2015

Rothenberg says Jankovic seized control in the early going with a strong backhand and net attacks. She even took a 3-1 lead in the second set.

Hoever, Rothenberg observed Jankovic’s service errors ultimately did her in. “The arm wouldn’t go up,” she told Rothenberg. “It’s just, I could not hit through the shot. That’s what happened.”

Jankovic also confessed to Rothenberg the nerves got the best of her during the match:

“I think we all get nervous; it’s part of being a professional athlete. It’s just a matter of how you control them. I kind of let those nerves take the best out of me. That shouldn’t happen. But I think overall, it was a long two weeks.

“I was full of emotions, like I was just overwhelmed, and excited that I’m in the final and I put myself in a position to win.

“It’s almost like a dream, because I never thought I was going to at the at the beginning of the tournament.”

Jankovic also had to deal with her own leg injury. She told Ginn she had to hit in a standing position as her mobility was affected, although her predicament did improve as the tournament wore on, per BNPParibasOpen.com.