Simona Halep closes in on No.1 ranking after entering the China Open semis

Simona Halep took a step nearer overhauling Garbine Muguruza as world number one when the Romanian raced into the semi-finals of the women's draw. The second-ranked Halep eased past Russia's unseeded Daria Kasatkina 6-2, 6-1 in 69 minutes and will face Latvia's Jelena Ostapenko. The pair met at the French Open earlier this year, with Ostapenko winning the duel. The Spaniard Muguruza's short stay at the top is under severe threat after she bowed out in the first round in the Chinese capital with a virus. Halep is in red-hot form and closing in. She claimed the scalp of former number one Maria Sharapova in the previous round -- beating the Russian at the eighth attempt. (Video credit: Perform)