SINGAPORE
Simona Halep made a winning start to her WTA Finals campaign with an impressive 6-4 6-2 victory over Frenchwoman Caroline Garcia on Monday, the Romanian surging clear in the second set to subdue her in-form opponent.

The second Red Group match of the day was a completely one-sided affair when Denmark’s Caroline Wozniacki blew away Elina Svitolina 6-2 6-0 in less than an hour to gain revenge for two finals defeats against the Ukrainian this season.

Garcia was the last woman to qualify for the elite eight-woman event when the 24-year-old won back-to-back titles in China but her tournament debut ended in defeat when world No. 1 Halep halted her 11-match winning run in emphatic fashion.

There was little to choose between the aggressive baseliners in the first set but Halep stepped up a gear on the key points in the opener before hassling and harrying Garcia all over the court in the second to triumph in 88 minutes.