Australian Open: Halep defeats Pliskova and challenges Kerber in semi-final

The top seeded Simona Halep has reached the semi-finals of the Australian Open for the first time. After the 6:3,6:2 against Karolina Pliskova from the Czech Republic, the Romanian will meet Angelique Kerber on Thursday.

On Wednesday, Kerber won 6-1,6-2 against Madison Keys (USA/No. 17) and qualified for the first Grand Slam semi-finals since September 2016. In her year of success in 2016 alone, the Kieler met Halep five times and won four times in two sets. The overall score is between the two 4:4. Two years ago, Kerber had won her first major title in Melbourne, but in 2017 she retired from the round of sixteen.

Halep was trailing the former US open finalist Pliskova in the first set by 0:3 before she started a chase to catch up. The 26-year-old from Constanta is still waiting for her first major triumph. In 2014 and 2017 she had confessed to the final of the French Open.