Halep cruises into Wimbledon semi-finals

London - Simona Halep reached her second Wimbledon semi-final on Tuesday with a 7-6 (7/4), 6-1 victory over China's Zhang Shuai.

Halep, the seventh seeded former world number one, will face either Elina Svitolina, the eighth seed from Ukraine, or Karolina Muchova of the Czech Republic for a place in the final.

Zhang, bidding to become just the second Chinese woman to reach the semi-finals, led 4-1 in the first set and held four break points for a 5-1 lead.

"I fought hard in the first set, even if I was down 4-1," said 27-year-old Halep, a former French Open champion.

"I knew I had to be strong, play aggressive as much as possible and I did it great.

"I have energy, I feel fresh, I feel healthy, I feel confident when I step on the court."

Romania's Halep last made the last-four in 2014 when she was beaten by Eugenie Bouchard.

Wimbledon results on Tuesday (x denotes seeding):

Women

Quarter-finals

Serena Williams (USA x11) bt Alison Riske (USA) 6-4, 4-6, 6-3

Barbora Strycova (CZE) bt Johanna Konta (GBR x19) 7-6 (7/5), 6-1

Elina Svitolina (UKR x8) bt Karolina Muchova (CZE) 7-5, 6-4

Simona Halep (ROM x7) bt Zhang Shuai (CHN) 7-6 (7/4), 6-1

Wimbledon women's singles semi-finals line-up (x denotes seeded player):

Serena Williams (USA x11) v Barbora Strycova (CZE) 

Elina Svitolina (UKR x8) v Simona Halep (ROM x7)