Simona Halep and Garbine Muguruza won their Wednesday’s quarterfinal matches at the Australian Open, joining Ashleigh Barty and Sofia Kenin in the semis.
The fourth-seeded Halep needed just 53 minutes to dispatch first-time Grand Slam quarterfinalist Anett Kontaveit of Estonia 6-1 6-1. Kontaveit won the first game of the encounter, but Halep then won the next 11 games before her 28th-seeded opponent finally managed to hold serve in the penultimate game. Reigning Wimbledon champion Halep is yet to drop a set this fortnight in Melbourne.
Two-time Grand Slam champion Garbine Muguruza continued her strong return to vintage form, as the unseeded Spaniard battled past seed No.