| 2020 Australian Open |
|---|
| Venue: Melbourne Park Dates: 20 January to 2 February |
| Coverage: Listen on BBC Radio 5 Live Sports Extra and online; Live text on selected matches on the BBC Sport website and app; Watch highlights on BBC Two and BBC iPlayer. |
Simona Halep brilliantly took apart Anett Kontaveit in just 53 minutes to race into the Australian Open semi-finals.
Estonian Kontaveit won the first game but was never in it from that point as Halep raced to a 6-1 6-1 win.
Wimbledon champion Halep won 11 games in a row before the 28th seed managed to hold serve in the penultimate game.
The Romanian, 28, will face Spaniard Garbine Muguruza in the last four in Melbourne.
Muguruza, a two-time Grand Slam champion but unseeded here, beat Russia’s Anastasia Pavlyuchenkova 7-5 6-3.
“I felt great on court. I feel strong in my legs and I knew how to play against her. I was focused in every point I played,” said Halep.
The fourth seed is yet to drop a set at this year’s tournament and was never in danger of doing so on Rod Laver Arena, totally dominating the 24-year-old once she had the first break in the third game of the match.
Kontaveit, playing in her first Grand Slam quarter-final, had beaten sixth seed Belinda Bencic in 49 minutes in the third round but was on the wrong side of a hammering in the quarter-finals.
Halep moved Kontaveit around the court throughout and was ruthless in knowing when to increase the pace and kill off points, sealing a superb victory with her fifth ace.
Article courtesy of BBC Sport
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