Romania's Simona Halep fought off big-serving Czech Karolina Pliskova to reach the semi-finals of the Sydney International on Wednesday. The world number two had been tested in two tight previous matches, and Pliskova again made things difficult for Halep. Halep had early breaks in both sets only to be pulled back, before the tournament top seed closed out for a 6-4, 7-5 win over the Czech fifth seed in one hour and 38 minutes in blistering heat. "It was tough today. Was very close. She's playing well, and she's strong with the serve," Halep said.

"I expected that she's going to hit all the balls, so she did. Against her you don't have rhythm too much, so that's why it's tough to play." Halep finished with slightly more winners than Pliskova, 22 to 21, but far fewer errors, 33 to 43.

Copyright Agence France-Presse, 2016