MIAMI - It has been "18 months of torture" but Simona Halep is finally back on the tennis court.
The Romanian made her competitive return in Miami on March 19 after winning an appeal over a doping ban, while Indian Wells champion Iga Swiatek will look to pull off another Sunshine Double.
Halep, who accepted a wild card into the Miami Open after her four-year ban was cut to nine months by the Court of Arbitration for Sport in March, faced Paula Badosa - her match started after press time with the winner scheduled to take on world No. 2 Aryna Sabalenka in the second round.
For the former world No. 1, the clash against world No. 80 Badosa of Spain marked her first match since the 2022 US Open where she was upset in the first round by Ukrainian qualifier Daria Snigur.
Halep, a former Wimbledon and French Open champion, was suspended in October 2022 after testing positive for roxadustat banned drug that stimulates the production of red blood cells - at that year's US Open.
She had vigorously denied the charges against her.
This story is from the March 20, 2024 edition of The Straits Times.
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This story is from the March 20, 2024 edition of The Straits Times.
Start your 7-day Magzter GOLD free trial to access thousands of curated premium stories, and 8,500+ magazines and newspapers.
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