Simona Halep's words were a response to a comment made by her next opponent, Italy's Flavia Pennetta. Asked after she advanced in her own quarterfinal to comment on the difference between the 6-foot power baseliner Azarenka and the 5-foot-6 retriever Halep, Pennetta surprised the assembled journalists by remarking:

"It looks like she's not that powerful like Vika, but [Halep] is more powerful, I think. To make a winner to her, you have to finish the point seven times. [Halep] is always there, always in -- the ball always comes back."

Halep and Azarenka battled for 2 hours, 40 minutes, a match that was interrupted by a rain delay of 1:25. At the end, it was Halep whose shots had just that much more sting, just that extra bit of depth and pace.