Halep into Rome last four with Kontaveit win

Rome - Romanian sixth seed Simona Halep surged into the semi-finals of the Rome Masters for the third time after a 6-2, 6-4 win over Estonian qualifier Anett Kontaveit on Friday.

Halep, who reached the French Open final at Roland Garros in 2014, sets up a clash with Dutchwoman Kiki Bertens or Australian Daria Gavrilova.

Bertens, ranked 20th in the world, faces the 33rd-ranked Gavrilova later on Friday.

American Venus Williams, seeded ninth, faces Spanish third seed Garbine Muguruza for a place in the last four, while Ukraine's Elina Svitolina, seeded eighth, faces Czech second seed Karolina Pliskova.

Results on the sixth day of the Rome Masters on Thursday (x denotes seeding):

Women

Quarter-finals

Simona Halep (ROM x 6) bt Anett Kontaveit (EST) 6-2, 6-4