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MIAMI GARDENS, Fla. — Two-time Grand Slam champion Simona Halep has returned to professional tennis after getting her doping suspension reduced on appeal. Halep played her first match in about 1 1/2 years on Tuesday. It was a 1-6, 6-4, 6-3 loss to Paula Badosa at the Miami Open. Halep looked terrific in the first set but then encountered trouble, including having a trainer massage her right shoulder during a changeover late in the second. The 32-year-old from Romania, who reached No. 1 in the WTA rankings in 2017, smiled briefly and waved to spectators as she walked off the court.
