No. 1 Halep loses in QF

DUBAI (AFP) – Belinda Bencic shocked former world number one Simona Halep 4-6, 6-4, 6-2 to reach the semifinals of the Dubai Championships on Thursday, her second successive giant-killing act in the Gulf state.

Bencic, ranked 56, followed up her third-round knockout of number eight Aryna Sabalenka, where she saved six match points, with her two-and-aquarter hour win over 2015 champion Halep.

Former world number seven Bencic will next play two-time champion Elina Svitolina, who defeated Carla Suarez Navarro 6-2, 6-3, for a place in the final.

Bencic broke the Halep serve seven times while losing her own on five occasions.

Bencic profited from a break for a 5-2 lead in the final set but needed three chances a game later to close out victory as Halep drove a forehand long.

Halep, the losing finalist last week in Doha to Elise Mertens, said she was feeling tired throughout.

Meanwhile, Hsieh Su-wei won the last six games to beat fourth seed Karolina Pliskova 6-4, 1-6, 7-5 and will next face a woman she has never beaten – two-time Wimbledon champion Petra Kvitova.

Second seed Kvitova, winner of the Dubai event in 2013, crushed Viktoria Kuzmova of Slovakia 6-4, 6-0.