Simona Halep
Simona Halep of Romania returns to Kim Clijsters of Belgium during their match at the Brisbane International tennis tournament January 1, 2012. Reuters/Daniel Munoz

Top seed Simona Halep will play former champion Victoria Azarenka on day three of the 2015 Brisbane International. Azarenka, who won the tournament in 2009, moved on to the second round after claiming victory over the Ukrainian qualifier, 6-2 6-0.

Halep last played against the Belarusian tennis star in the quarterfinals of the 2015 US Open. The Romanian beat Azarenka in three sets, 6-3 4-6 6-4 at Flushing Meadows last year.

In an interview with WTA’s All Access, Halep regarded Azarenka as one “strong” competitor when she recalled their US Open quarterfinal match. Halep added that she is looking forward to opening her season against Azarenka in her bid to even their head-to-head record. Halep currently trails against Azarenka, 1-2.

Halep last played in Brisbane in 2012. However, she lost early in the tournament, losing to Kim Clijsters, 6-1 6-4 in the first round.

Meanwhile, Azarenka said she was just “happy” to be back on the tennis court following her first-round victory on Monday. The 22nd-ranked has not played since her second-round loss, 6-4 1-0 to Johanna Konta in Wuhan in September 2015 when she retired with a leg injury.

Azarenka is hoping not to repeat her disappointing performance last year when she lost in the first round to Karolina Pliskova, 4-6 7-6(9) 6-4. The previous year, in 2014, Azarenka was a runner-up to Serena Williams. She was the 2009 champion after beating Marion Bartoli in straight sets, 6-3 6-1.

The second-round clash between Halep and Azarenka promises an exciting match. Halep continues to improve since her meteoric rise to fame in 2013. However, Azarenka’s aggressive style of play, ability to approach the net and finish the points will also be a key aspect. Halep and Azarenka are two biggest threats to defending champion Maria Sharapova in the tournament. It will be fascinating to find out who comes through this match and goes on to potentially meet Sharapova in the semifinal.

UPDATE: Simona Halep pulled out before her first match due to a leg injury. She is replaced by Ysaline Bonaventure.

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