UPDATE/Tennis: Simona Halep qualifies for the round of sixteen of WTA tournament in Madrid

Romanian tennis player Simona Halep, world's no. 3, on Tuesday qualified for the round of sixteen of the WTA tournament in Madrid, with total prizes worth 7,021,128 US dollars, after defeating British player Johanna Konta (27, WTA's 41), 7-5, 6-1. Halep (27 of age) sealed her victory in 1 hour and 29 minutes. The two players' score in their direct matches so far is 4-3 for Halep. Simona Halep, who won the Madrid tournament in 2016 and 2017, has won a cheque worth 80,620 euros and 120 WTA points for reaching this far in the competition. In the round of sixteen she is set to meet Viktoria Kuzmova (Slovakia), 20, WTA's 46, who defeated Carla Suarez Navarro, 6-4, 7-6 (7/2) in the second round. AGERPRES (RO - author: Mihai Tenea; editor: Teodor Ciobanu; EN - author: Cristina Zaharia, editor: Adina Panaitescu)