22 Thursday, January 25, 2018 SPORTS Halep sets up Kerber semi-final clash

Simona Halep returns a shot (Picture courtesy: Xinhua)

Melbourne supreme athleticism and court craft, well so everything went pretty well imona Halep won nine games and from 3-0 down the match began for me.” in a row to breeze past Karolina to swing decisively in the top seed’s The first quarter-final was a similar SPliskova and set up a mouthwatering favour. clash of styles and again it was the semi-final against Despite standing only 5ft 6in tall counter-puncher who came out on former champion . compared to Pliskova’s 6ft 1in, Halep top, and even more emphatically, with World number one Halep has had hit only one fewer winner and the Kerber blasting to a 6-1 6-2 victory a rollercoaster ride in Melbourne, Czech’s 28 unforced errors compared over Madison Keys in just 51 minutes. suffering an ankle injury in the first to just 10 for her opponent sealed The American never settled into the round and then surviving three match her fate. match – much like her US Open final points before beating This is Halep’s best run in appearance, when she was similarly 15-13 in the deciding set. Melbourne, and the 26-year-old said: crushed by – with her But since then Halep has barely “It’s really nice to be in the semis. I’ve poor record against Kerber perhaps in put a foot wrong and, after being been in the semis of juniors in 2008. her mind. overpowered by sixth seed Pliskova in “For sure it wasn’t my best start but Keys had only won one of their the first three games, she turned the I just knew I have to restart to stop previous seven matches and had failed tables to claim a 6-3 6-2 victory. missing and moving better, which I to win a set in the last three, but none It was a match of styles between the did pretty well. Then I started to open of them had been quite like this. Angelique Kerber hits a return big-hitting of Pliskova and Halep’s the court and play my style. I served (PA Sport) (Picture courtesy: Xinhua) Chung storms Inglot defeat leaves Mertens keeps calm, into semi-finals Edmund sole Brit left collected in debut Melbourne One break of serve made hird time was not the the difference as Marach and charm for Dominic Inglot Pavic took the opener 6-4, asT he and men’s doubles though Inglot and Daniell partner Marcus Daniell missed fought back to take the second out in the Australian Open 7-6 following a 12-10 tiebreak. quarter-finals. They did so despite being up The Brit had reached this against match point on three stage in Melbourne on two occasions, though they were previous occasions but once unable to close out the contest again a place in the last four despite another tie-break, 6-4 narrowly eluded him, despite 6(10)-7 7-6(5) the final scoreline. Chung Hyeon returns a shot (Picture courtesy: Xinhua) saving three match points. That means Kyle Edmund is Inglot and his New Zealand the last Brit standing in the first partner lost out to Oliver of the year, gearing Melbourne the duo getting under way five Marach and Mate Pavic in up for the first semi-final of his nseeded Korean Hyeon minutes later than scheduled three intriguing sets, with the career, against sixth seed and Chung charged into the once it had proved to be a false match constantly toing and former Wimbledon finalist (Picture courtesy: AP) UAustralian Open semi-finals alarm, and the supporters had froing Down Under. Marin Cilic. (Sportsbeat) after dismissing Tennys returned to their seats. Melbourne Svitolina of Ukraine in two Sandgren with a straight- And alarm bells were nseeded Elise Mertens sets. sets 6-4 7-6(5) 6-3 victory soon ringing for Sandgren has extended a breakout In the youngster’s biggest yesterday. in the opening set, with the Uyear to storm into the semi- ticket to date, she faces a The conqueror of Novak American dropping serve finals of her Australian Open goliath in Dane Caroline Djokovic and Alexander in the third game as Chung debut by keeping a cool head Wozniacki, who will be Zverev proved too strong converted his second break- and honing her technical thirsty for a first grand slam for Sandgren, winning the point opportunity. Sandgren skills. title and who already sent encounter after two hours and threatened to break back The 22-year-old will become her packing once, in Sweden 28 minutes on the Rod Laver immediately, but Chung dug the first Belgian to reach a last July. Arena. deep to save two break points grand slam semi since Kirsten But Mertens is unlikely to An evacuation warning before squandering three of Flipkens’ 2013 Wimbledon melt under pressure, coach brought a minor delay to the his own in the following game. foray on Thursday, after Robbe Ceyssens who is also quarter-final encounter, with (Eurosport) Kyle Edmund (Picture courtesy: Xinhua) thrashing fourth seed Elina her boyfriend, said. (Reuters)