MONTREAL – Romanian Simona Halep beat out Madison Keys to win the final match of Montreal’s annual Rogers Cup tennis tournament.
The fifth-seeded Halep was a clear crowd favorite against the 21-year old American.
READ MORE: Halep recovers to defeat Kerber to reach second straight Rogers Cup final
Keys, seeded 10th at the tournament, is a rising star, but in the end Halep had the best of her, winning in two straight sets 7-6 (2), 6-3.
As the winner, Halep walks away with the $2.4 million grand prize and will jump to third in WTA rankings.
Halep said her fans made her feel at home and gave her the extra motivation she needed.
“With all the Romanians, I felt like at home,” Halep said. “Many people were coming every day. It was an amazing atmosphere down there. The man that announced us on the court said two words in Romanian, so that motivated me a lot. I said that now I have to win.”
PHOTO GALLERY: Rogers Cup women’s single final
While the stadium was packed with tennis fans on Sunday, many of them told Global News that they’d been hoping Montreal native, Eugénie Bouchard, would have gone all the way this year.
Bouchard was knocked out in the third round of the tournament.
READ MORE: Bouchard exits Rogers Cup on home turf, says pressure got to her
Her holographic representation remains in the fan zone, where ticket holders can take a picture with a “virtual Bouchard”.
Fans can also ask Bouchard some skill-testing questions.
Global News also learned that Oprah Winfrey is one of Bourchard’s idols.
We also checked out her iPhone playlist, only to learn that “One Dance” by Drake is her favorite workout song.
On the men’s side, the digital version of Canadian tennis star and fourth seed Milos Raionic admits to fans that he’s a sucker for chicken wings.
*With files from the Canadian Press
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