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Match Details
Fixture: (2) Simona Halep vs Harriet Dart
Tournament: Rothesay Classic Birmingham 2022.
Round: Second round (Round of 16).
Date: June 15
Venue: Birmingham, United Kingdom.
Category: WTA 250.
Surface: Grass.
Prize money: €223,476.
Live telecast: USA - Tennis Channel | Canada - TSN | UK - Amazon Prime Video.
Simona Halep vs Harriet Dart preview
Second seed Simona Halep will square off against Harriet Dart in the second round of the Birmingham Classic on Wednesday.
Halep started the year on a high, winning the Melbourne Summer Set by outfoxing Veronika Kudermetova 6-2, 6-3 in the final. She has won 21 out of 28 matches this season, with runs to the semifinals of the Dubai Tennis Championships and Indian Wells amongst her best results.
The Romanian got the better of Lesia Tsurenko in the first round of the Birmingham Classic.
Halep got off to a shaky start, facing three break points in the first game of the match. However, she managed to save them all and went on to win the first set 6-1.
The second set was riddled with errors, with both players losing serve multiple times. The Romanian was trailing 3-1 at one point but managed to turn it around and secure a 6-1, 6-4 win.
Harriet Dart has won seven out of 15 matches this season, with runs to the Round of 16 in Indian Wells and the quarterfinals last week in Nottingham being her best results. The Brit overpowered Camila Osorio in the first round of the Birmingham Classic to win 6-2, 6-0.
Both players looked nervous early on, dropping serve in the opening two games. Dart steadied the ship thereafter and went into a 3-1 lead. She broke Osorio once more and converted her third set point to take the opening set.
The 26-year old played a brilliant second set and bagelled her opponent in 30 minutes to secure a place in the last 16.
Simona Halep vs Harriet Dart head-to-head
Halep leads the head-to-head against Dart 1-0. The Romanian won their previous encounter at the 2020 Australian Open 6-2, 6-4.
Simona Halep vs Harriet Dart odds
(All odds are sourced by BetMGM)
Simona Halep vs Harriet Dart prediction
Simona Halep will enter the contest as the favorite, but Dart is playing at home and will be high on condience after a good run in Nottingham last week.
Halep won 74 percent of her first serve points and hit four aces against Lesia Tsurenko. The Romanian possesses powerful groundstrokes off both wings and is one of the most aggressive players on the WTA tour.
Dart won 64 percent of her first serve points and converted six out of nine break points against Camila Osorio. However, the young Columbian lacks experience on grass and didn't put up much of a fight. The Brit will face a completely different challenge against Halep.
Dart is an excellent athlete and likes to stay on the offensive during points. She uses the backhand slice well to control the pace between rallies.
This will be a gripping contest with both players preferring to attack. Halep has a 70 percent win ratio on grass and will be determined to get more game time ahead of Wimbledon. Dart won't make it easy, but Halep should have enough in her arsenal to come through quite comfortably.
Pick: Simona Halep to win in straight sets.
