WUHAN, China: World No.5 Simona Halep downed Madison Keys in the quarterfinals of the Wuhan Open Thursday to book her place in the elite season-end WTA Final for the third consecutive year.
Big serving Keys took an early lead in the first set, breaking the Romanian’s serve twice, but was unable to maintain the momentum as Halep equalled and then took the set 6-4.
Halep — who turned 25 this week — dropped just two games to take the second set and confirm her place in the eight-player season finale in Singapore.
Only world No.1 Angelique Kerber and Serena Williams have so far qualified for the highly lucrative tournament, and the field remains wide open for the remaining five spots.
“It’s amazing to be qualified again for Singapore three years in a row. It’s a good thing. It gives me confidence,” Halep told reporters after the quarterfinal match.
In a similar style to Kerber, Halep plays off the strength of big hitters like Williams and Keys, who is often cast as the American veteran’s successor.
“She can hit very strong. She can miss some easy balls,” the Romanian said of her quarterfinal opponent.
“I don’t (have) big shots, but I have speed on the court... I like to take the ball fast. So when I do that, I think I can play at the highest level,” she added.
With Williams having taken only one Grand Slam title this year and slipped from her long-held No.1 spot in the rankings, Halep said earlier this week that she feels she now has a shot at the top.
“Every Grand Slam was another winner, Kerber two times this year. I feel now (it) is more open. I feel that I have (a) bigger chance,” said the Romanian, who ended last season as world No.2 but is yet to win a Slam.
Halep will meet two-time Wimbledon champion Petra Kvitova in the semifinals after she ended a strong run by Briton Johanna Konta in straight sets.
Russia’s Svetlana Kuznetsova squashed Agnieszka Radwanska’s hopes of qualifying for Singapore this week when she came from a set down to set up a semifinal meet with either Dominika Cibulkova or Barbora Strycova.
Kyrgios falls
Second seed and world number 15 Nick Kyrgios went down at the Chengdu Open Thursday, as South African Kevin Anderson saved two match points in an upset 3-6, 7-6(6), 6-2.
The 203 cm (6’8“) 30-year-old South African smashed 24 aces in the three-set duel, battling back from an early loss to win a place in the quarterfinals against sixth seed Viktor Troicki.
Anderson has a 2-1 record in head-to-head play against the Serbian, who wore down an exhausted Marcos Baghdatis 6-3, 3-6, 6-2, dispatching the Cypriot to earn his sixth trip to the ATP World Tour quarterfinals of the season.
Former Australian Open finalist Baghdatis had fought an epic three-hour contest with Spaniard Pablo Carreno Busta the day before.
Fifth seed Albert Ramos-Vinolas took two-and-a-half hours to overcome 33-year-old Yen-Hsun Lu of Taiwan, who took him to three sets, 7-6(4), 3-6, 6-4.
Lu had more aces than the Spaniard and a higher percentage of break points saved, but Ramos-Vinolas edged him on the percentage of second-serve points won (53 percent).
Berdych moves up
Top seed and world No. 9 Tomas Berdych of the Czech Republic battled Mikhail Kukushkin to prevail 7-6(7), 7-6(4) and advance at the Shenzhen Open Thursday.
The 31-year-old Czech blasted 16 aces to overpower his Kazakh opponent in two sets and secure his quarterfinal berth.
Fourth-seed Bernard Tomic of Australia won a two-hour duel with American qualifier Ryan Harrison, 6-4, 4-6, 7-5.
The 23-year-old right hander hit only 10 aces to Harrison’s 20, but held off the American’s challenge, saving three break points to book a clash with Brazilian Thomaz Bellucci in the quarter finals.
It was their second head-to-head clash in an ATP competition, with Tomic winning their last meeting in 2012.
For his part the 28-year-old Bellucci notched a two-set victory over Italy’s Thomas Fabbiano, knocking down 13 aces to the Italian’s five, to advance to the quarterfinals.
'Confident' Halep books place in WTA finals
'Confident' Halep books place in WTA finals
Rampant Sabalenka sweeps past Jovic into Australian Open semifinals
MELBOURNE: Relentless top seed Aryna Sabalenka muscled past American teenager Iva Jovic and into the Australian Open semifinals Tuesday to accelerate her bid for a third Melbourne title.
The Belarusian powered home 6-3, 6-0 in blazing heat to set up a clash with either third seed Coco Gauff or 12th seed Elina Svitolina.
It booked the 27-year-old a 14th career Grand Slam semifinal and fourth in a row at the season-opening major.
Sabalenka has won twice in Melbourne, in 2023 and 2024, and seemed destined for another crown last year but was upset in the final by Madison Keys.
Keys’ title defense is over, beaten in the fourth round by Jessica Pegula.
“These teenagers have been testing me in the last couple of rounds,” said Sabalenka, who is on a 10-match win streak after victory at the lead-up Brisbane International.
“It was a tough match. Don’t look at the score, it wasn’t easy at all. She played incredible tennis. Pushed me to to one step better level. And I’m super happy with the win.”
The match was played under an open roof on Rod Laver Arena with the tournament Heat Stress Scale yet to reach the level where it could be closed.
Temperatures are forecast to hit a blistering 45C with a peak of 38C reached during the match.
Defeat brought an end to a breakthrough tournament for 18-year-old Jovic, the youngest player in the women’s top 100 and seeded 29.
She stunned seventh seed and two-time Slam finalist Jasmine Paolini and blitzed past experienced Yulia Putintseva for the loss of just one game to announce herself to the world.
But Sabalenka was a bridge too far.
The world number one safely held serve to lay down a marker, blasting an ace to set up game point and an unreturnable serve to win it.
Jovic made some early errors and sent the ball long on break point to surrender her serve and fall 2-0 behind.
Sabalenka held to pile on the pressure before Jovic fended off a break point on her next serve to get on the scoreboard.
But despite some long rallies as she got into the match and three break points as Sabalenka served for the set, the top seed’s brute force proved too much.
Sabalenka then broke her immediately to assert control of set two and Jovic was spent, with another break for 3-0 then a double fault to slump 5-0 down, signalling the end.
