Emotional scenes at Wimbledon as Halep ends Flipkens’ singles career

Romanian Simona Halep, the No 16 seed, won against Belgian Kirsten Flipkens 7-5, 6-4 to advance to the third round of Wimbledon at the All England Lawn Tennis and Croquet Club in London on Thursday evening.

Flipkens – in the final singles match of her career – hugged her opponent, and kissed the grass court, leaving her headband there as she walked off waving to the crowd.

“For everything there is an end in life, and I’m about to start now a new chapter,” Flipkens said in her press conference afterwards. “It’s a special feeling.

“I would have dreamed for a good-bye like today. I was really close to even, yeah, taking a set from a champion like Simona. It’s not that I cannot play my best anymore with a champion like her or with other players. It’s just you’re 36 years old, you have been through so much in your career, ups and downs, and it was just a perfect way for me to end.”

Halep, ranked No 18, will face Pole Magdalena Frech next.

The Romanian defeated Czech Karolina Muchova (6-3, 6-2) in the previous round.

During the first round, Flipkens, ranked No 190, beat Australian qualifier Jaimee Fourlis (7-5, 6-2).

London (Grand Slam), other second-round results (All England Lawn Tennis and Croquet Club, grass, GBP 40.350.000, most recent results first):

• Coco Gauff vs. Mihaela Buzarnescu
• Amanda Anisimova (20) beat Lauren Davis: 2-6, 6-3, 6-4
• Iga Swiatek (1) beat Lesley Pattinama Kerkhove (LL): 6-4, 4-6, 6-3
• Magdalena Frech beat Anna-Karolina Schmiedlova: 6-4, 6-4
• Petra Martic beat Kristina Kucova: 7-6 (4), 6-3
• Jessica Pegula (8) beat Harriet Dart: 4-6, 6-3, 6-1
• Barbora Krejcikova (13) beat Viktorija Golubic: 6-3, 6-4
• Harmony Tan beat Sara Sorribes Tormo (32): 6-3, 6-4
• Heather Watson beat Qiang Wang: 7-5, 6-4
• Katie Boulter (WC) beat Karolina Pliskova (6): 3-6, 7-6 (4), 6-4
• Elena Rybakina (17) beat Bianca Andreescu: 6-4, 7-6 (5)
• Elise Mertens (24) beat Panna Udvardy: 3-6, 7-6 (5), 7-5
• Qinwen Zheng beat Greet Minnen: 6-4, 6-1
• Petra Kvitova (25) beat Ana Bogdan: 6-1, 7-6 (5)
• Ajla Tomljanovic beat Catherine Harrison (Q): 6-2, 6-2
• Alize Cornet beat Claire Liu: 6-3, 6-3
• Paula Badosa (4) beat Irina Bara: 6-3, 6-2
• Kaja Juvan beat Dalma Galfi: 7-5, 6-3
• Ons Jabeur (3) beat Katarzyna Kawa (Q): 6-4, 6-0
• Maria Sakkari (5) beat Viktoriya Tomova: 6-4, 6-3
• Irina-Camelia Begu beat Elisabetta Cocciaretto: 6-4, 6-4
• Alison Riske (28) beat Maja Chwalinska (Q): 3-6, 6-1, 6-0
• Diane Parry beat Mai Hontama (Q): 6-3, 6-2
• Angelique Kerber (15) beat Magda Linette: 6-3, 6-3
• Caroline Garcia beat Emma Raducanu (10): 6-3, 6-3
• Marie Bouzkova beat Ann Li: 6-0, 6-3
• Jelena Ostapenko (12) beat Yanina Wickmayer (Q): 6-2, 6-2
• Tatjana Maria beat Sorana Cirstea (26): 6-3, 1-6, 7-5
• Jule Niemeier beat Anett Kontaveit (2): 6-4, 6-0
• Lesia Tsurenko beat Anhelina Kalinina (29): 3-6, 6-4, 6-3
• Shuai Zhang (33) beat Marta Kostyuk: 7-6 (6), 6-2