Halep rallies past Dodin

MIAMI: World number one Simona Halep battled back to eliminate France’s Oceane Dodin 3-6, 6-3, 7-5 Thursday and reach the third round of the WTA Miami Open.

Qualifying lucky loser Dodin led 4-2 in the third set, powered by punishing groundstrokes that at times baffled the top-seeded Romanian, before Halep roared back for the triumph in her first match after an opening bye. Halep will remain atop the WTA rankings no matter how she fares in the Miami fortnight, but Dodin served notice her path will not be an easy one.

Halep, a runner-up to Caroline Wozniacki in January’s Australian Open still chasing her first Grand Slam title, outlasted Dodin after two hours and six minutes despite capturing the final four games.

Halep swatted 20 winners with 26 unforced errors while Dodin made 35 winners but faded to finish with 52 unforced errors and 16 double faults.Halep next faces Poland’s 30th-ranked Agnieszka Radwanska, a former world number two who was a 2012 Wimbledon runner-up.