Indian Wells, CA (SportsNetwork.com) – French Open runner-up Simona Halep
was a come-from-behind quarterfinal victor Wednesday at the $5.3 million BNP
Paribas Open.
The third seed overcame nifty 12th-seeded Spaniard Carla Suarez Navarro 5-7,
6-1, 6-1 in 1 hour, 53 minutes at the Indian Wells Tennis Garden. The Romanian
star Halep broke Suarez Navarro eight times on Day 8.
The recent Dubai champion Halep’s semifinal opponent will be world No. 1
Serena Williams or hot 27th-seeded Swiss Timea Bacsinszky.
The American great Williams, playing here for the first time in 14 years,
was the Indian Wells champ back in 1999 and 2001.
Bacsinszky is fresh off back-to-back titles in Acapulco and Monterrey in
Mexico.
Two other quarterfinals will be held here on Thursday, when 18th-seeded former
world No. 1 Jelena Jankovic takes on Ukrainian Lesia Tsurenko and 15th-seeded
reigning Indian Wells titlist Flavia Pennetta battles 24th-seeded former
Wimbledon runner-up Sabine Lisicki.
Pennetta upset Agnieszka Radwanska in last year’s final. Jankovic titled here
in 2010.
