One year ago, Simona Halep won one of the most prestigious tournaments of her fantastic career in Madrid after she defeated Dominika Cibulkova in the final 6-2 6-4.

This year Simona is the hot favorite for the title also following the absence of Serena Williams and (again) Victoria Azarenka. The other top players are not performing at their very best while the Romanian seems to have found her way back.

This tournament is really special

During the pre-tournament interview, Simona commented

“The tournament is very special for me. I played the final three years ago (d.by Sharapova), and I won the title. The owner of the tournament is Romanian (Tiriac). So makes me feel like home.”

Simona is seeded no.3, and she will face an in-form Krystina Pliskova in the opener.