After cutting her 2018 season short because of a back injury, world No.1 Simona Halep played her first complete match in three and a half months and lost in straight sets to Australian Ashleigh Barty in the second round of the 2019 Sydney International.
Entering the new season without a coach and still unsure about the state of her injury, the top-seeded Halep fell to last year’s Sydney finalist Barty 6-4 6-4. Firing 26 winners to her opponent’s nine, Barty recorded her first victory over a top-ranked WTA player.