Sports
Ex-Wimbledon champion Halep reaches Birmingham semi-finals
Ex-Wimbledon champion Halep reaches Birmingham semi-finals
Former Wimbledon champion Simona Halep booked her place in the semi-finals of the WTA Birmingham grass-court event with a straight sets win over Britain's Katie Boulter on Friday.
Boulter had been in career-best form at the tournament, defeating Alison Riske in the first round of the Wimbledon warm-up before knocking out former top-10 player Caroline Garcia.
But second seed Halep ultimately proved too strong in a 6-4, 6-1 victory.
The 30-year-old Romanian, however, did not have things all her own way in a tightly-contested first set.
Boulter, who only returned from nearly three months out with a leg injury at Nottingham last week, kept pace with Halep for the opening eight games.
The 25-year-old, to her credit, saved three break points at 4-4 only to double fault on the fourth.
That proved to be the cue for Halep to pull away in what is her first grass-court event since a superb straight sets win over Serena Williams in the 2019 Wimbeldon final.
Sorana Cirstea made it a day of double celebration for Romania by also reaching the semi-finals after coming from a set down to defeat Donna Vekic 5-7, 6-3, 6-4.
Cirstea will face Zhang Shuai in the last four following the Chinese eighth seed's 7-5, 6-4 win over Ukraine's Dayana Yastremska.
SOURCE: AFP
-
Pakistan 1 day ago
CM Punjab gives Rs2.5mn cheque to family of guy hit by her protocol convoy
-
Pakistan 2 days ago
US reacts to Iranās president visit in PakistanĀ
-
Sports 1 day ago
Fourth T20I match: Imad can be part of Pakistanās squad against New Zealand
-
Pakistan 1 day ago
PM Shehbaz suggested reaching out to Imran Khan, India
-
Sports 1 day ago
Pak vs NZ: Muhammad Rizwan, Irfan Khan ruled out of T20I series
-
Pakistan 2 days ago
Traffic plan released as Iranian President to visit Lahore, Karachi today
-
Pakistan 2 days ago
Iranian President Raisi reaches LahoreĀ
-
Pakistan 2 days ago
CM Punjab approves establishment of Provincial Enforcement Authority