Halep wallops Pennetta in WTA Finals opener

Singapore

NERVES, what nerves? It didn't take too long for Simona Halep, the top seed at this week's BNP Paribas Women's Tennis Association (WTA) Finals, to bag her first victory and gain some sweet revenge in the process.

The 24-year-old needed just 70 minutes to brush aside her US Open conqueror, the seventh-ranked Flavia Pennetta, in straight sets - 6-0, 6-3 - in the opening match of the US$7 million (S$9.73 million) tournament.

Last month, Halep crashed out of the US Open semi-finals as Pennetta crushed her oppo…