Simona Halep eases through to French Open semi-finals

Simona Halep has defeated Svetlana Kuznetsova in straight sets to reach her first Grand Slam semi-final at the French Open.

The fourth seed's reward for beating the 2008 champion is a last-four clash with Germany's Andrea Petkovic.

Halep and Kuznetsova exchanged breaks early in the opening set before the Romanian's compact hitting from around the court allowed her to break two more times to clinch it 6-2.

There was little to separate the players at the start of the second, but Halep's persistence eventually reaped dividends as three breaks saw her seal the win 6-2 6-2.