Indian Wells: Simona Halep moves to fourth round after three-sets win against wildcard Caroline Dolehide

WTA No 1 Simona Halep moved to the fourth round of the BNP Paribas Open in Indian Wells after a three-set win against American wildcard Caroline Dolehide.

The Romanian player had to recover from one set down in her 1-6, 7-6(3), 6-2 victory, after the 19-year-old caught the world No. 1 on the wrong foot. ” I’m really, really happy about this victory,” Halep said after the match, according to wtatennis.com. “It was tough down there, and much respect to her, because she’s playing really good tennis.”

In her previous match, Dolehide had defeated Slovakia’s Dominika Cibulkova, a former World No. 4.”She’s playing really, really well, and I never played against her, so I didn’t know how the ball is coming,” Halep said of her opponent. “It was pretty tough in the first set. I played too flat and too fast. So then I tried to miss less and make her move, to roll the ball better.”

“I was fighting to try to find the rhythm and to try to find the right game against her, which I did. This is the best thing that I will take from this match, not that much the victory. The thing that I found what I have to play, and I came back was more important,” Halep, who is coming back from an injury, said.

In her upcoming match, Simona Halep will face China’s Wang Qiang, who defeated Kristina Mladenovic in her previous match.

“I practiced with her a few days ago here. She’s a tough opponent. She’s playing well. I expect a really tough one. Different than today, obviously, but I’m ready. I feel okay. So I will do everything I can just to win the match,” Halep said.