Serena Williams was routed 6-0, 6-2 by Simona Halep at the WTA Finals on Wednesday in one of the most one-sided losses of the 18-time Grand Slam champion’s career.
The last time Williams managed to win just two games in a WTA Tour or Grand Slam match was in 1998 when she was just 16.
“Embarrassing describes the way I played today,” Williams said. “Very embarrassing.” The loss in the round-robin match snapped Williams’ 16-match winning streak at the year-end championships, where she is the two-time defending champion.
The fourth-ranked Halep had never before beaten a player ranked in the top 3. In her previous two matches against Williams, both last year, the Romanian had won a total of seven games.
“It was my best match of my life,” Halep said. “I played unbelievable shots. It means a lot this match. At an important time I played really well, and after today my confidence will be more high.”
Halep, runner-up at this year’s French Open, beat Eugenie Bouchard in her opening match and moves to 2-0 in the Red Group. Williams slips to 1-1 and will face Bouchard next.
Halep remained cautious even after two dominant victories. “I have confidence I can get to the semifinals,” Halep said.
Williams had 36 unforced errors - three times Halep’s total. But the key to the result was the performance on break points. Both players had six: Williams took none of them while Halep converted five.