Romania’s Simona Halep loses number 2 WTA spot to Sharapova after Rome tournament

Romanian tennis player Simona Halep went down to number three in the WTA ranking of the best women’s tennis players in the world after her defeat in the semifinals of the Internazionali BNL d'Italia in Rome. Halep lost her semifinal match against Spain’s Carla Suarez Navarro, on Saturday, May 16, after three sets ended 6-2, 3-6, 5-7. Halep served for winning the match in the third set, but made several unforced errors which helped the Spaniard steal the victory. Russia’s Maria Sharapova defeated Navarro in the final winning her 35th WTA title in Rome. This victory also allowed Sharapova to move back to the second place in the WTA ranking ahead of the French Open which starts next Monday. Sharapova has 7,710 points, while Halep is third, with 7,360 points. American Serena Williams keeps her top spot, with 9,361 points. Romanian Irina Camelia Begu moved up to 30 and Alexandra Dulgheru went up to 50, after reaching the quarterfinals in Rome. The two other Romanians in Top 100 are Monica Niculescu, on 69, and Andreea Mitu, on 99. editor@romania-insider.com