All-Romanian semifinal at Budapest tournament

No. 3 seed Simona Halep of Romania defeated Hungary’s top player, Timea Babos 7-5, 6-1 in the quarterfinal of the USD 235,000 Hungarian Grand Prix WTA International women's tennis tournament at the Romai Tennis Academy Friday.

The first set was balanced with Babos failing to capitalize on any of her four set points. Halep won three consecutive games to take the set. In the second set, the Hungarian player could only win a game at the beginning.

“It was a difficult match. I was a little bit tired. She played pretty good in the first set. In the second, I was a little bit better at important points,” said Halep who is on her way to win her third WTA title this year (as well as in her career) after Nuremberg, Germany and 's-Hertogenbosch, Holland.

In Saturday’s semifinals, Halep faces fellow Romanian Alexandra Cadantu who beat Shahar Peer of Israel 6-0, 7-5. This is the second semifinal Cadantu reaches the semifinal on the WTA tour this year after Katowice, Poland in April where she also beat Peer in the quarterfinal.

The other semifinal is played by South Africa’s Chanelle Scheepers and Yvonne Meusburger of Austria.

Scheepers defeated 18-year-old Montenegrin Danka Kovinic, who played her first WTA tournament and made it to the last eight in Budapest, 4-6, 6-0, 7-6(5).

“She played a very good match. I was struggling a little bit and she was pushing me, I had to fight really hard for every point. I’m really glad it worked out,” Scheepers said.

Meusburger booked her place in the last four by knocking out fourth-seeded Annika Beck of Germany 6-4, 6-1.