2018 WTA Preview: No. 1, Simona Halep

As a preview of 2018, Baseline is taking a look at all the Top 10 finishers, first with the ATP and now the WTA.

See No. 2 here.

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After multiple failed attempts, Simona Halep finally did it—she became the first-ever Romanian WTA No. 1. Adding to the milestone, she managed to hold onto the No. 1 ranking to close out the season. Her loss to Jelena Ostapenko in the Roland Garros final was crushing, but she got her revenge over the Latvian in the Beijing semifinals. She also successfully defending her Madrid crown, during a stellar clay season that also saw her reach the Rome final.

Moment of the Year

Halep's joy at finally clinching the No. 1 spot is a moment she'll never forget. She did it in the very best way as well, in that revengeful win over Roland Garros champion Ostapenko in the Beijing semifinals.

Hot Shot of the Year

Her No. 1 ranking win also produced her hot shot of the year. Halep stayed healthy in 2017, and her fitness level was as great as ever, as shown by her ability to bide her time during even the toughest of points.

Outlook for 2018

Halep is long overdue for a Grand Slam crown, and her best shot will come at Roland Garros, where she has lost two heartbreaking finals. If she can improve just a little bit more mentally—with the help of coach Darren Cahill boosting her—the Romanian has the physical strength and tennis talent to beat anyone on any given day.

JANUARY: THIS MONTH ON TENNIS CHANNEL PLUS

NEW SEASON, MORE TENNIS! Get Tennis Channel Plus now at BuyTCPlus.com

A LOT of tennis action will be played on Tennis Channel Plus from January through June

Starting with January …  gear up for the Australian Open with 6 LIVE tournaments in the lead up to AO, exclusively on Tennis Channel Plus

1. Mubadala – Abu Dhabi

2. Hopman Cup

3. ATP Sydney

4. Fast 4 Sydney

5. World Tennis Channel – Adelaide

6. Australian Open Qualifying

7. Australian Open (Best 20 Matches of AO will be on-demand)