PARIS (AP) Fourth-seeded Simona Halep advanced to the French Open semifinals by beating 2009 champion Svetlana Kuznetsova 6-2, 6-2 Wednesday.
Halep, the highest-seeded player in the draw, lost in the quarterfinals at the Australian Open in January, her best previous performance at a Grand Slam tournament.
Halep has moved quickly up the rankings over the last year. In the last 13 months, Halep has won seven titles, second only to Serena Williams. But Halep is the only player to have won titles on clay, grass and hard courts during that stretch.
In the semifinals, Halep will face 28th-seeded Andrea Petkovic of Germany.
Petkovic on why she kissed her racket after win: "I was just overwhelmed by emotion. I had no boy to kiss, so I kissed my racket" #RG14
— Christopher Clarey (@christophclarey) June 4, 2014
