Top seed Halep cruises into Prague Open semis

Top-seeded Simona Halep cruised past lucky loser Magdalena Frech 6-2 6-0 to advance to the semifinals of the Prague Open on Friday. Their quarterfinal was suspended when Begu was leading 6-2 0-1. Third-seeded Elise Mertens beat wild card Eugenie Bouchard 6-4 1-6 6-4 to set up a semifinal against Kristyna Pliskova.

Top-seeded Simona Halep cruised past lucky loser Magdalena Frech 6-2 6-0 to advance to the semifinals of the Prague Open on Friday. Halep, ranked No 2, converted her first match point with a backhand winner to beat Frech, ranked 174.

"I'm happy that I can play better and better day by day," Halep said. "It was a good one and I'll take it." Halep needed three sets to knock out her first- and second-round opponents, Polona Hercog and Barbora Krejcikova. She will play next Irina-Camelia Begu or Sara Sorribes Tormo in the semis. Their quarterfinal was suspended when Begu was leading 6-2 0-1.

Third-seeded Elise Mertens beat wild card Eugenie Bouchard 6-4 1-6 6-4 to set up a semifinal against Kristyna Pliskova. Pliskova advanced after Ana Bogdan retired due to a left foot injury while leading 5-2 in the opening set of their second-round match.

The Prague Open is the second European tournament since the WTA restarted amid the coronavirus pandemic, with strict health protocols in place. AP SSC SSC.