Simona Halep, who will move up to World Number 2, edged past Sara Errani 6-4 6-4 in 81 minutes after a tight match to advance to the semifinals of the Porsche Indoor Grand Prix at the Porsche Arena in Stuttgart.
Errani was broken nine times and won just 36 percent of her first serve points.
In a match with 16 breaks of serve both players struggled to hold their serve. Errani won just six points on her serve and dropped two games to love. She never managed to hold her serve in the first set. Halep made too many errors when she had to confirm her breaks.
In the second set Errani got the break and finally managed to hold a service game. Halep broke back and took the 5-3 lead. The Romanian player earned her first match point which was saved by Errani who managed to break serve for 4-5. Halep clinched the win on her third match point.
Halep opened up a 2-0 lead. Errani broke Halep four times but she failed to hold her serve. After both players continued breaking their serve Halep got the decisive break in the seventh game to get through to the semifinal
Halep will take on Caroline Wozniacki who eased past Carla Suarez Navarro 6-0 6-3. After winning the first set with a bagel, Wozniacki was the first to clinch the break in the second set. Suarez Navarro broke back in a hard-fought game but Wozniack continued to dominate the match and closed out the second set with 6-3.
Halep leads 2-1 in their three head-to-head matches against Woznaicki and won their last two matches.
One day after beating three-time Stuttgart champion Maria Sharapova on Thursday, Angelique Kerber dropped just five games in her 6-3 6-2 win over Ekaterina Makarova. Kerber and Makarova met for the 11th time but it was the first match played on clay. Makarova was the first to break serve and went up 3-0 but Kerber broke back at 1-3. Kerber reeled off six consecutive games to clinch the first set with 6-3. From 0-3 down Kerber reeled off 12 of the next 14 games to clinch the win. Kerber broke serve in the fifth game of the second set to take the 3-2 lead. The German never looked back and wrapped up the match with 6-2 showing her impressive form.
“The first three games I was a little bit too slow and she played too slow. She played very well but after 0-3 I found my rhythm. I was able to start playing aggressive and play like I planned to and it worked. I am happy I could win the match in two sets and closed it out in one hour”, said Kerber
Kerber won all her nine matches on clay this year, including her five wins in Charleston where she won the Premier-level title on green clay.
Kerber will face American Madison Brengle who fought back from a set down to edge past Caroline Garcia with 3-6 6-3 6-3. Brengle has reached her first quarter finals at Premier-level.
