Halep scores first win since May; Muchova delivers comeback over Konta in Cincinnati

Three-time Western & Southern Open runner-up Simona Halep overcame injury, rain and an intermittently impressive Magda Linette to seal her first win since May 6-4, 3-6, 6-1 in 2 hours and 10 minutes.

The No.12 seed had been sidelined for three months after sustaining a calf muscle tear in the second round of Rome against Angelique Kerber. She returned to action only last week in Montreal, where she fell to Danielle Collins 2-6, 6-3, 6-3 in her opener.

Against Linette, Halep was far from her best, and trailing 1-4 in the second set needed medical treatment for what she described as a "sharp pain" in her right leg at the time, and "a contracted muscle" afterward. But after a lengthy rain delay a game later, the Romanian returned to sweep through the third set.

Halep, runner-up in Cincinnati in 2015 (to Serena Williams), 2017 (to Garbiñe Muguruza) and 2018 (to Kiki Bertens), finished with an equally balanced 26 winners to 26 unforced errors. The most impressive element of her game was her serve, which fired 11 aces and frequently dug her out of trouble.

Turning points: During several passages of play, Linette - seeking her third Top 20 victory of the season - was coming up with the better shotmaking off the ground, with the Pole's backhand garnering her a series of breathtaking winners. But she was let down by her inability to bring that form to the biggest points of the match, converting just two of 14 break point chances.

That was particularly crucial at the start of the decider. The World No.44 had delivered a stellar second set, weathering the medical timeout and rain delay with aplomb to close out her lead with confidence. But she missed seven break points across Halep's first three service games in the third set - three in the first, three in the second and one in the third - frequently with routine groundstroke errors or missed returns.

In between, Linette's own service games were littered with mistakes, and the set rapidly got away from her despite Halep's own inconsistency.

Quotable: "I don't feel afraid, because I am vaccinated," said Halep after the match, discussing the Covid-19 vaccination.

"I feel protected. I am taking care. I wear the mask when many people are around. I feel much better when the tournament is open. I don't like the bubbles. I feel very stressed when I'm in the bubble. So if people can vaccinate more and more, [it] will be better, because we will not have more restrictions any more."

What's next for Halep: The former World No.1's path doesn't get any easier: in the second round, she will face either freshly crowned Montreal champion Camila Giorgi or Jessica Pegula, the American enjoying a career-best season who is herself coming off a run to the Montreal semifinals.

Halep has never played Pegula, but defeated Giorgi 6-4, 7-5 in their only previous meeting, in the third round of Miami 2015.

Muchova bounces back to defeat Konta

Australian Open semifinalist Karolina Muchova also progressed to the second round after beating Johanna Konta 3-6, 7-6(5), 6-2 in two hours and 27 minutes.

The result ends Konta's seven-match winning streak, which comprised her Nottingham title in June and third-round run in Montreal last week, where she withdrew ahead of her third round due to a left knee injury. Muchova, who suffered a shock first-round loss in Montreal to Oceane Dodin, matches her second-round showing at the Western & Southern on her debut last year.

Key to the match: Muchova's strong service performance in the second set enabled the Czech to come through the most tightly contested passage of play and turn the match around. The World No.23 raised her first serve percentage from 54% in the first set to 63% in the second, during which she fired seven of her 11 total aces.

Early in the second set, both players brought up crucial break point chances. Konta would squander three at 1-1 with missed returns, but Muchova was unable to take two in the subsequent game either. From then on, though, it was Muchova who was impregnable on serve. She would not face another break point in the match, and sealed both the second set and the match with aces.

Konta's forehand, which had been a crucial weapon in the first set, lost its accuracy as the match went on, leaking errors both in the second-set tiebreak and in both of the service games the Briton conceded in the decider.

Shot of the match: Ironically, Muchova's finest play came during a point she lost - and in the only service game she dropped. At 1-2, 0-15 in the first set, she slammed down a smash - only to be trapped at net as Konta ricocheted it back.

Muchova managed to pull off a behind-the-back, through-the-legs volley to stay in the point, but Konta was alert to her tricks and hustled forward to slide a pass down the line. Two points later, Konta had captured what would be her only break of the day to love.

What's next for Muchova: A popcorn first-time encounter with No.7 seed Bianca Andreescu that's sure to be packed with hot shots.