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Halep wins over fans with incredible grace in defeat

Yahoo Sport Australia

Simona Halep may not have won the Australian Open, but she won the hearts of fans with an incredibly classy runner-up speech.

A third grand slam defeat was a bitter pill to swallow but few will doubt Halep's determination after losing to Caroline Wozniacki in an astonishing final on Saturday night.

The lion-hearted Romanian put up an incredible fight but was unable to deny Wozniacki her first major title, with the Dane prevailing 7-6 (7-2) 3-6 6-4.

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"Of course I'm sad I couldn't win today but Caroline was better than me," a classy Halep said in the post-match presentation.

"For sure, I will fight and I have many years to go. Hopefully I will face another challenge like today.

"Maybe the fourth time will be with luck."

Wozniacki and Halep were all class. Image: Getty
Wozniacki and Halep were all class. Image: Getty

Hampered by an ankle injury throughout the tournament, Halep entered the final having spent 11 hours and 30 minutes on court - 40 minutes more than Roger Federer had put in on his way to Sunday night's men's final.

By the time Wozniacki sealed victory to leapfrog Halep and become world No.1 for the first time in six years, Halep had added another two hours and 49 minutes to her tally.

At some point, the enormous physical effort - which included a marathon three-hour and 44-minute victory over Lauren Davis in the third round - had to take its toll.

That moment appeared to have arrived early in the second set when an exhausted Halep called for the tournament physio and had her pulse and blood pressure checked.

Commentating for ESPN, tennis great Chris Evert said Halep's coach, Australian Darren Cahill, had expressed concerns about her fitness during a hallway chat earlier that day.

"He said 'she's really excited ... but the tank is getting lower and lower with each match'," Evert said.

"I'm amazed at how well she's holding up with all the matches that she's played.

"It's an accumulation of two weeks of long, tough matches for both these ladies."

Cahill also showed his class in defeat, with Channel 7 cameras catching the moment he offered Wozniacki a touching congratulatory hug in the tunnels of Rod Laver Arena.

Fans flocked to social media to praise Halep for her class and grace in defeat, led by Aussie Daria Gavrilova.









with AAP