FORMER world number one Simona Halep has announced her retirement after suffering a resounding defeat in her first match of 2025.

Halep belatedly got her season under way in her home event, the Transylvania Open, in Romania on Tuesday, after being handed a wildcard.

But the two-time Grand Slam champion won just two games as Italy’s Lucia Bronzetti powered to a 6-1 6-1 victory in just 59 minutes.