Romanian tennis star Simona Halep’s categorical victories in her first matches of the Australian Open brought her a new nickname, “Halepeno”, which is a merger of her own name “Halep” and the famous spicy “jalapeno”.

Halep’s sportswear sponsor Adidas saw the opportunity and launched the new “halepeno” T-shirts, which quickly became popular with her team and her fans.

Former American tennis coach Brad Gilbert, now a sports commentator for ESPN, was the first who compared Simona Halep to a jalapeno (a very spicy Mexican chili pepper), due to her fast moving on the tennis court.

If Halep maintains her good performances in the Australian Open, she might turn this into a new trademark.

Romanians Halep and Begu advance to the 4th round of the Australian Open

editor@romania-insider.com