Romanian tennis star Simona Halep, who is currently number 1 in the WTA singles ranking, was defeated by Serena Williams on Monday, January 21, in the highly-anticipated round of 16 match at the Australian Open.

The match ended after three sets, with American tennis ace Serena Williams winning 6-1, 4-6, 6-4. Williams will face Karolina Pliskova next.

"I really needed to elevate my game. She's the No.1 player in the world and there's a reason why. She elevates her game, she plays well, she's just a great player,” Serena Williams said after the match against Halep, according to Ausopen.com.

"So in order for me to stay out here, I had to just play like I knew I could, and I did, and I think that was hopefully the difference.”

Last year, Simona Halep reached the Australian Open final but lost the match to Denmark’s Caroline Wozniacki. This year, she won the first three matches, against Kaia Kanepi, Sofia Kenin and Venus Williams, and stopped in the round of 16 match, which was won by Serena Williams.

Halep decided to start this season without a coach, after her previous coach Darren Cahill announced he would take one year off to spend more time with his family.

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Irina Marica, irina.marica@romania-insider.com

(photo source: Ausopen.com; photo credit: Ben Solomon/Tennis Australia)