Halep dismantles Martic to reach semifinals at Indian Wells

Former World No.1 Simona Halep made short work of Petra Martic to reach the semifinals at the BNP Paribas Open Indian Wells, keeping her title hope alive as she attempts to lift her second trophy of the season.

The Romanian required just 53 minutes to record the 6-1 6-1 victory, improving to 3-1 in career meetings against her Croatian opponent. Halep, who lifted the Indian Wells title in 2015, put on a dominant performance. The 24th seed hit 18 winners to Martic's six, and converted all five of her break point opportunities.

Halep dictated play from the onset, winning 14 points in a row to race to a 5-1 lead in the first set. After another break to obtain the set, the two-time Grand Slam champion resumed her onslaught in the second set, overwhelming her opponent with powerful groundstrokes from the baseline. The 30-year old finished proceedings on her third match point, securing her spot in the semifinals.

After such a dominant performance, Halep will have enough time to recover as she awaits the winner between third seed Iga Swiatek and American Madison Keys.