More ankle concerns for Halep

Simona Halep and Eugenie Bouchard will clash at Melbourne Park in a rematch of their 2014 Wimbledon semi-final.

Romania's Simona Halep

Romania's world No.1 Simona Halep celebrates after defeating Australia's Destanee Aiava. (AAP)

World No.1 Simona Halep is really hoping history doesn't repeat itself.

The last time she squared off against Eugenie Bouchard at grand slam level - back in the Wimbledon semi-finals of 2014 - her hopes were cruelled by the most untimely of ankle injuries.

There have been plenty of similar occurrences in the intervening years, most recently in Tuesday's Australian Open first-round victory over local wildcard Destanee Aiava at Melbourne Park.

Halep required a medical time-out after badly rolling her left ankle, although she recovered well enough to win 7-6 (7-5) 6-1 and avoid a third straight opening-round loss at the Open.

The Romanian was reasonably confident she would recover well enough to take on Bouchard on Thursday.

"My first priority is always the health," said Halep, who estimated she had suffered at least five ankle injuries in 2017.

"In my opinion, I will be able to play.

"Just the ligaments is the problem all the time."

Halep and Bouchard - who are still chasing their maiden grand slam crowns - were both flying when they clashed in the last four at the All England Club in 2014.

The Romanian was fresh off her maiden appearance in a major final at the French Open, while Bouchard had already reached the semis at Melbourne Park and Roland Garros that year at the age of 20.

Then Halep rolled her ankle in the fourth game of the semi, opening the door for the Canadian to win in straight sets and advance to the final, where she lost to Petra Kvitova.

"I'm more than 50 per cent sure I was close to winning that match because I had confidence after Paris and I was feeling the ball pretty well," said Halep.

"Then it happened at the beginning of the match and I got scared like (against Aiava) as well.

"I always get scared when I have a little injury."

Having reached a career-high world ranking of five late in 2014, Bouchard has recently dropped outside the top 100.


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Source: AAP



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