Muguruza, Halep to meet for spot in final
Garbine Muguruza has set up an Australian Open semifinal showdown with fellow former world No 1 Simona Halep as they both look to add a third grand slam to their haul.
The Spanish veteran fired past Russian 30th seed Anastasia Pavlyuchenkova 7-5 6-3 while Halep crushed Estonia’s Anett Kontaveit 6-1 6-1 in yesterday’s earlier quarterfinal in Melbourne.
Both Muguruza and Halep are former Wimbledon and French Open champions.
Halep has come closest to a title at Melbourne Park, losing the 2018 decider to Caroline Wozniacki in a three-set heartbreaker. She fired a warning that she won’t let another opportunity slip, needing just 53 minutes to oust
Kontaveit in a flawless display.
Kontaveit didn’t play that badly – making only 15 unforced errors – but Halep hunted down every ball and sent it back with interest. The Romanian said she was feeling stronger than ever.
‘‘I played my best game on court, I felt strong in my game, strong in my legs,’’ said the world No 3.
‘‘I worked a little bit more in the offseason – for the first time in my life I did the off-season away from home so I could be focused on what I have to do every day, no days off.
‘‘That meant a lot for me and this year, I started very well and I am feeling much stronger than before.’’
Muguruza, whose last major semifinal appearance was at Roland Garros in 2018, had a tougher time against Pavlyuchenkova.
The pair traded breaks early in the second set before Muguraza stepped up her play. A double-fault by the Russian handed her opponent a 2-4 lead and she was never headed from there.
Australian Ashleigh Barty will meet American Sofia Kenin in the other semifinal.
Later, Alexander Zverev joined Roger Federer and Novak Djokovic in the men’s semifinals with a 1-6 6-3 6-4 6-2 win over Stan Wawrinka.