Simona Halep has learned her opening opponent at the Transylvania Open and is officially set to start her 2025 season in front of her home fans.
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On Saturday, the draw for the WTA 250 tournament in Cluj-Napoca was revealed.
The Romanian former world No. 1, who will be a fan favorite, will play against world No. 66 Lucia Bronzetti in the first round.
For Halep, this will be her first WTA tournament since late October, when she lost in the Hong Kong Open first round.
Just before the start of the 2025 season, the two-time Grand Slam champion played at the World Tennis League and picked up some knee and shoulder issues, which forced her to miss the start of the new season.
But now, she is ready to make her second appearance at the Transylvania Open.
In the past, Halep finished as runner-up to Anett Kontaveit in the 2021 Cluj-Napoca final.
When the Romanian meets Bronzetti, that will be their first meeting.
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Halep targeted to return in Cluj-Napoca
In late 2024, the current world No. 868 received some great news when she was given a main draw wildcard for Auckland and also a qualifying wildcard for the Australian Open.
But then, she experienced pain and discomfort during the Abu Dhabi exhibition and ultimately decided to return those wildcards.
At the time, Halep didn't hide her disappointment but also expressed hope that she would be able to play in early February.
"After playing in Abu Dhabi, unfortunately I felt pain in my knee and shoulder once again. After discussing with my team at length, we agreed it is sensible to delay the start of my season," the 33-year-old wrote in a message posted on her Instagram Story on December 27th.
"It's not what I wanted but I would like to thank the tournament organizers in Auckland and Australia for the wild cards and I'm sorry I won't be able to take them this time.
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"I will rest up and I intend for my next event to be Cluj, where I can't wait to play in front of the amazing Romanian fans."
