DUBAI: The two-time champion Simona Halep swept into the Dubai Championships semifinals on Thursday and will face Jelena Ostapenko in the final four. Olympic silver medalist Marketa Vondrousova also booked a spot in the semifinals.
Halep of Romania thrashed the number 8 seed Ons Jabeur of Tunisia 6-4, 6-3. Former World No.1 Halep, currently ranked No.23, took an hour and 20 minutes to fend off 10th-ranked Jabeur. With the victory, Halep improved her 2022 win-loss record to a sterling 11-1.
Halep's win lines up an exciting semifinal encounter where she will face World No.21 Jelena Ostapenko of Latvia.
Jelena Ostapenko reached her second straight semifinal after saving a match point and defeating Petra Kvitova in a third-set tiebreak in the Dubai Tennis Championships quarterfinals. She was joined in the last four by Veronika Kudermetova.
Marketa Vondrousova of the Czech Republic completed the semifinal lineup in Dubai by defeating Dayana Yastremska of Ukraine 7-5, 6-4 in the nightcap quarterfinal.