Halep turns 26, stays optimistic for No. 1 ranking

Simona Halep celebrated her 26th birthday on Wednesday as she enters the year’s final stretch in Asia.

She received well wishes from fans and supporters...

...along with a birthday cake and flowers.

The Romanian may not have a Grand Slam title or a No. 1 ranking (yet), but she can't be upset with what has been, arguably, her best season ever.

The world No. 2 defended her Madrid crown this season and has been a consistent contender in many of the big tournaments including a final appearance at the French Open.

In Paris, she lost a set and a break lead to 20-year-old Jelena Ostapenko. The Romanian admitted earlier this week, “I had it [the defeat] in my mind for a while, and it was like killing me every day. But now I look at it in a positive way.”

Halep found consolation when Hall-of-Fame legend Kim Clijsters related her early-career struggles to get over the hump. Clijsters lost her first four major finals from 2001-04, but would end up winning four in her career.

Halep is focused only on improving and seeing if she can reach the top of the rankings before the year ends. This week she fell in the first round at Wuhan, leaving Garbine Muguruza and Karolina Pliskova battling for the top spot.

Both Muguruza and Pliskova lost in the quarterfinals, but the world No. 1-ranked Muguruza is now 600 points ahead of Halep. All three should appear in the WTA Premier draw in Beijing next week, and all three have also qualified for the WTA Finals in Singapore. It will be a dramatic race to the finish.