Australian Open: Simona Halep rattles Karolina Pliskova, reaches semi-finals

Simona Halep d Karolina Pliskova, 6-3, 6-2

World number one Simona Halep thrashed sixth-seeded Karolina Pliskova to enter semifinals of Australian Open on Wednesday.

"It's really nice to be in the semi-final. It was not my best start, but I knew I had to restart which I did," said the world number one after winning.

"This was not my best start but I just knew that I have to restart after few games to stop missing and to move better, which I did pretty well, I played my style and everything went pretty well for me.

It's nice to be here, it's nice to be here on this court," she added.

"I am pretty strong at the return and I always practice that. I read my opponent and want to make her stress herself so that I can dominate the game.

Romanian red beauty will face Angelique Kerber in the semi-final. 

"For sure its gonna be different, she is moving pretty well I have to be strong and calm against Kerber."

"I am trying to enjoy the semis and not thinking about the results and play my best," she concluded.

The Romanian reeled off nine games in a row to recover from 0-3 en route to a 6-3, 6-2 victory and move into a showdown with in-form 2016 champion Angelique Kerber for a place in the final.

Match facts:

Halep - Pliskova

0 Aces 2

4 Double Faults 3

20 Winners 21

10 Unforced Errors 28

5/10 Break Point Conversions 1/4

69 Total Points Won 49