Anastasia Potapova took a moment to pay a very beautiful tribute to home favorite Simona Halep after winning Cluj-Napoca in Romania, recalling how she used to look up to the former world No. 1 and wishing her all the best.
On Sunday, the Russian – who was the No. 1 seed – recovered from a set down to beat Lucia Bronzetti 4-6 6-1 6-2 in the Transylvania Open final.
Anastasia Potapova© Transylvania Open/Instagram – Fair Use
But before the Russian beat Bronzetti, it was the 26-year-old Italian who beat Halep 6-1 6-1 in the Cluj-Napoca – in a match after the two-time Grand Slam champion announced her retirement.
Just before the tournament started, the Romanian revealed to local reporters that she was dealing with a very serious knee injury and hinted at retiring.
After meeting the 33-year-old in Cluj-Napova, Potapova told the Romanian tennis icon that she was rooting for her to get healthy and return to her old level.
Potapova’s tribute to Halep
“The last thing I want to say, Simona is the one I’ve always looked up to,” the 2025 Cluj-Napoca winner said on the court following her triumph.
“She’s been one of my idols all the time. At the start of the week, I wished her to come back to where she should be.
“When I saw that she decided to finish her career, I felt really sad. But she achieved something I can’t even dream about… yet.
“For me she will always stay a champion. I wish that she enjoys life after tennis. She deserves it completely.”
Anastasia Potapova said some beautiful words about Simona Halep’s retirement after winning Cluj:
“The last thing I want to say, Simona is the one I’ve always looked up to. She’s been one of my idols all the time. At the start of the week I wished her to come back to where she… pic.twitter.com/hV59r76I3q
— The Tennis Letter (@TheTennisLetter) February 9, 2025
When announcing her decision to walk away from pro tennis, Halep said it was filled with both “joy and sadness.”
Also, she noted that she was “always realistic” with herself and that the injury was just too serious for her to continue her career.
Meanwhile, Potapova improved to three WTA titles after winning Cluj-Napoca.
Tennis World USA