Simona Halep loses bid to reach Australian Open final

World number three Simona Halep lost her bid to become an Australian Open finalist, as Spain's Garbine Muguruza outclassed her 7-6 (10-8), 7-5 this Thursday in the tournament's second semifinal. The unseeded Muguruza clinched a cliffhanger victory against the fourth seed in two hours and 5 minutes, in a hotly contested battle in which she played offensively, pushing and pressing Halep all the time. This is Garbine Muguruza's first time Melbourne final and fourth Grand Slam on the record, after the titles won in Roland Garros in 2016 and Wimbledon in 2017, and the one lost in Wimbledon in 2015. 2018 Roland Garros and 2019 Wimbledon champion Simona Halep was a runner-up in Melbourne in 2018, when she lost to Denmark's Caroline Wozniacki. Halep will get 1,040,000 Australian dollars in prize money and 780 WTA points. Garbine Muguruza will play the final with American Sofia Kenin (WTA's 15), who ousted world leader, Australian Ashleigh Barty 7-6 (8/6) 7-5 in the first semifinal. AGERPRES (RO - author: Mihai Tenea, editor: Vlad Constantinescu; EN - author: Simona Klodnischi, editor: Simona Iacob)