News Sports Tennis Simona Halep beats Daria Kasatkina to reach China Open semifinals

Simona Halep beats Daria Kasatkina to reach China Open semifinals

Simona Halep needs to reach to the final in Beijing, and not lose to third-seeded Elena Svitolina, to bump No. 1 Garbine Muguruza from the top spot.

Simona Halep Image Source : GETTY IMAGESA file image of Simona Halep.

Second-seeded Simona Halep moved into the China Open semifinals and kept alive her chance of reaching the No. 1 ranking with a 6-2, 6-1 win over Daria Kasatkina on Friday.

Halep needs to reach to the final in Beijing, and not lose to third-seeded Elena Svitolina, to bump No. 1 Garbine Muguruza from the top spot.

Halep has never held the No. 1 ranking but has had a few missed opportunities, most notably when she lost in the French Open final to Jelena Ostapenko in June.

Her run in Beijing so far has also included a 6-2, 6-2 win over Maria Sharapova, which ended a seven-match losing streak to Russian, including a first-round upset at the US Open last month.

Halep's quarterfinal victory over 34th-ranked Kasatkina avenged a straight-sets loss in their last outing at Wuhan last week.

In the semifinals, she'll play either ninth-seeded Ostapenko or Sorana Cirstea.