Simona Halep ended Beatriz Haddad Maia’s dream run in Toronto with a hard-fought 6–3, 2–6, 6–3 victory to claim her third Canadian Open title on Sunday.
Halep’s serving woes from her semifinal win carried over at the outset of the final as she produced four double faults and was broken in the opening game before quickly falling 3–0 behind.
But the Romanian responded by changing her tactics, drawing the Brazilian into longer rallies to reel off six straight games and she sealed the opening set when she blasted a forehand winner, pumping her fist as the supportive crowd roared their approval.
Haddad Maia dominated the second set but got tight in the decider, badly missing a forehand wide to hand Halep a 4–1 lead she would not relinquish….