Simona Halep maintains Romanian mastery to reach Indian Wells quarterfinals

WATCH: Facing Cirstea for the first time since 2010, Halep eased into the BNP Paribas Open last eight in straight sets.

A happy and healthy Simona Halep continues to prove one of 2022’s most dangerous commodities as the former world No. 1 rolled into the BNP Paribas Open quarterfinals over countrywoman Sorana Cirstea, 6-1, 6-4.

“It’s always tough to play a Romanian,” Halep told Andrew Krasny during her on-court interview, “but I tried to treat this match as a normal match, so I did that pretty well. Even if I was broken in the second set, I felt like my return is pretty strong, so I’ve been confident til the end of the match, and that’s how I was able to finish in two sets.”

Cirstea is the last Romanian to defeat Halep, who has gone on to win 19 straight matches over her countrywomen in the last decade. Facing off for the first time in almost 12 years—a time when neither woman was ranked inside the Top 50—Halep avenged that loss from Cincinnati qualifying in just 82 minutes on Stadium 1 court.

Halep last hoisted the Indian Wells trophy in 2015—which is still her biggest career hard-court title—and is into the last eight at the WTA 1000 for the first time since 2018.

“I really enjoy playing here,” she explained. “It’s like home, and in front of everyone it’s a pleasure. Every time, I try to play my best tennis here because I like the conditions, but definitely today was not an easy match.”

The two-time major champion has been in the midst of rebuilding her career after injuries sidelined her for most of 2021, ruling her out of both Roland Garros and Wimbledon. Though she began the year with a title in Melbourne, Halep opted to bring on coaches from the Mouratoglou Academy, having parted with Adrian Marcu and Daniel Dobre after the Australian Open. A mixed run of results in the Middle East has given way to a more consistently high level in Indian Wells after solid wins against Ekaterina Alexandrova and Coco Gauff.

While Halep struggled through last season, Cirstea, seeded two spots below Halep at No. 26, has enjoyed a career renaissance of late, winning her first title in 13 years at the Istanbul Cup last spring and reaching the second week in two of the last four major tournaments—including this year’s Australian Open.

Cirstea rebounded from a one-sided opening set to break Halep for the first and only time in the match. Halep responded with a break of her own and held firm through the ensuing five games. Capitalizing on a late wobble to clinch the match on her second opportunity, Halep drew a 31st unforced error for Cirstea to become the first into the quarterfinals.

In contrast to other players’ discomfort with Indian Wells’ unique conditions, Halep manages to use both the slow bounce and light balls to her advantage, and will aim to continue applying her winning formula against Petra Martic in a rematch of their 2018 encounter, which she took in three sets.

“The ball is flying, so it helps me a little bit to have some extra power. The court bounces, so I like to use the spin a little bit, and the place is quiet and everyone is happy here. They give me the same vibe.”

Her 373-week streak inside the Top 10 may have ended last year, but Halep has a shot at returning to the Top 20 with strong result in the desert—and the vibes are certainly pointing in that direction.