THE semi-finalists for the Australian Open have been confirmed with Australian Ash Barty and American, Sofia Kenin already confirming their spot Simona Halep and Garbine Muguruza secured their place after hard fought wins in the qualifying finals. Both players defeated their opponents in straight sets making for an exciting finals berth.

FOR MORE TENNIS CONTENT THROUGHOUT THE YEAR, JOIN OUR TENNIS FACEBOOK GROUP

Halep was in complete control getting the job done in under an hour against Estonian Anett Kontaveit 6-1 6-1. The Romanian world number three was in hot form the minute she stepped out on court only allowing Kontaveit to win two games throughout the match. Halep was strong on the serve dismantling the Estonian at every opportunity she could, dishing up five aces to her opponents zero. Kontaveit simply had no answers for Halep who impressed at every turn winning 78 per cent of first serves while Kontaveit only managed a lowly 48 per cent- 30 below her opponent. Halep was not afraid to approach the net showcasing her attacking intent winning 100 per cent of net points while Kontaveit also displayed her impressive court coverage. In the end, it was the Romanians ability to recover and win break points that really set her apart from her opponent while also racking up five less unforced errors with 10 compared to Kontaveit’s 15. It was a convincing performance by Halep who is one step closer to her debut Australian Open title.

The Spaniard continued her impressive summer knocking off Anastasia Pavlyuchenkova in a strong outing against the world number 30. Muguruza showed plenty of grit and determination from the get go willing herself to victory in the first set before making light work of the Russian in the second to run out victorious 7-5 6-3. The Spanish star worked tirelessly against her higher ranked opponent to win in straight sets using her accuracy on the first serve to full effect. Muguruza won 75 per cent of her first serves and while the accuracy dropped off slightly on the second with 39 per cent it was enough to keep Pavlyuchenkova at bay who only managed 14 per cent on the second serve. Her serve speed was also marginally faster giving her that extra edge averaging 165kmh and 140kmh on her first and second respectively. When it came to unforced errors only four errors separated them with Mugurza the beneficiary with 21 to 26. Pavlyuchenkova was deadlier around the net capitalising on her opportunities and pushing Muguruza to her limits winning 77 per cent of net points compared to 70.

[4] S. Halep (ROU) defeated [28] A. Kontaveit (EST) 6-1 6-1
G. Muguruza (ESP) defeated [30] A. Palyuchenkova (RUS) 7-5 6-3