Australian Open: Serena Williams knocks Halep out, progresses to semis

Melbourne [Australia], February 16 : American tennis player Serena Williams on Tuesday progressed to the semi-finals of the ongoing Australian Open.
Serena defeated Romania's Simona Halep 6-3, 6-3 in the quarter-finals at the Rod Laver Arena and as a result, the American has her dream intact of registering her 24th Grand Slam win.
The 39-year-old Serena was in an emphatic mood in the first set and she did not give Halep any chance and as a result, the American star won the first set 6-3. Serena hit 14 winners to win the opening set.
In the second set, Halep gained a 3-1 lead, but Serena managed to come back to bring the scoreline level at 3-3. Carrying on her with her momentum, Serena made the winning charge and as a result, she ended up winning the match in straight sets.
The 39-year-old Serena needs one more major win to equal Margaret Court's record Grand Slam tally. She has not added to her Grand Slam tally since beating her sister Venus in the Australian Open final in 2017.
Earlier in the day, Japanese tennis player Naomi Osaka advanced to the semi-finals of the ongoing Australian Open after overpowering Taiwan's Su-Wei Hsieh on Tuesday.
The three-time Grand Slam champion Osaka defeated Hsieh in two consecutive sets and sealed a comfortable victory in 66 minutes at Rod Laver Arena. The world number three smashed seven aces in her dominating victory to extend the winning streak to 19 matches.