Halep, who won a pair of major trophies at Roland Garros (2018) and Wimbledon (2019), was last on court at a WTA 250 tournament in Hong Kong; she accepted a wild card to play singles and doubles in front of her home crowd, pairing compatriot Ana Bogdan for a straight-set doubles defeat on Monday.
Playing the No. 72-ranked Bronzetti, 26, for the first time, the 33-year-old Halep struggled to find her range and won just 11 points in the opening set. She fell behind an early break in the second and won just one more game as Bronzetti raced ahead to another 5-1 lead.
With three match points in hand, Bronzetti converted her first when Halep netted a forehand return, sending the two-time Grand Slam champion into retirement. Halep remained on court following Bronzetti’s post-match interview to address the crowd.
