“Picking up where she left”; “A win is a win” – Fans amused by Simona Halep winning wooden spoon again at Miami Open after US Open 2022

Despite her determined return to professional tennis, Simona Halep faced a setback at the start of the Miami Open when she was eliminated in the first round by Paula Badosa. Although the 32-year-old was not considered a top contender for the WTA 1000 title, she will now hold the unfortunate title of receiving the wooden spoon in the women’s singles competition, as the tournament has concluded.

Despite being banned from professional tennis for four years by the International Tennis Integrity Agency (ITIA) last year for testing positive for the illegal substance Roxadustat at the 2022 US Open, Halep successfully appealed to the Court of Arbitration (CAS) and had her suspension reduced. She argued that she had unknowingly taken the substance.

Despite being sidelined since September 2022, Simona Halep made her comeback to the WTA Tour at this month’s Miami Open after being cleared by the CAS. However, her return was not a successful one as she lost in the first round to World No. 2 Paula Badosa 6-1, 4-6, 3-6.

Additionally, Halep’s defeat triggered a sequence of occurrences that she could not have predicted. Badosa went on to lose her subsequent match to second seed Aryna Sabalenka, who was then eliminated by Anhelina Kalinina in the Round of 32.

Kalinina was defeated by Yulia Putintseva in the next round. Putintseva was then beaten by former Miami champion Victoria Azarenka, who in turn lost to fourth seed Elena Rybakina in the semifinals. However, Rybakina was ultimately defeated by unseeded Danielle Collins in the final, resulting in Halep receiving the wooden spoon.

Numerous members of the tennis community on X (previously known as Twitter) found the recent development amusing, particularly upon discovering that Simona Halep had encountered a similar situation at the US Open two years prior. One person comically joked that this was just another typical occurrence for the Romanian.

“Picking up right where she left, lol,”they wrote.

In the meantime, another fan argued that a victory is a victory, whether it results in winning a trophy or receiving a wooden spoon.

“A win is a win,”they wrote.

Additional responses from social media were also shared:

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In the latter half of the 2022 WTA Tour season, Simona Halep displayed impressive performance. She achieved her ninth 1000-level title at the National Bank Open in August 2022 after a tough battle, leading numerous fans and experts to anticipate her success at Flushing Meadows.

Despite being a top-ranked player, Halep was caught off guard when she was unexpectedly defeated by Ukrainian qualifier Daria Snigur in the opening round of the 2022 US Open. Snigur, in turn, was unable to maintain her momentum and was defeated by Rebecca Marino in the following round, who was then eliminated by Zhang Shuai in the third round of the tournament.

After defeating Shuai, teenager Coco Gauff advanced to her first Major quarterfinals in New York. She was ultimately defeated by 17th-seeded Caroline Garcia, who then lost to World No. 5 Ons Jabeur in the semifinals. Jabeur went on to face top seed Iga Swiatek in the final, where she was defeated, leaving Halep with the unwanted wooden spoon.