CoCo Vandeweghe stuns Simona Halep to advance to Stuttgart Open tennis semis

American CoCo Vandeweghe shocked world number one Simona Halep in straight sets on Friday to move into the semi-finals of the Porsche Tennis Grand Prix in Stuttgart.

Vandeweghe, who won 6-4 6-1 in an hour and 14 minutes, fired five aces and 19 winners to exert her dominance in the claycourt event despite previously stating her dislike for the surface.

U.S. Open semi-finalist Vandeweghe raced to a 5-4 lead in the opening set on the back of her strong service game. The 26-year-old then sealed a decisive break to clinch the first set and gain the upper hand in the contest.

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Despite stepping up her attack, Romania’s Halep struggled to find a way past her opponent who cruised through the second set to reach the last four of a claycourt event for the first time.

Vandeweghe next takes on sixth seed Caroline Garcia who later overcame Ukraine’s Elina Svitolina 6-7(4) 6-4 6-2 in two hours and 16 minutes.