Serena Williams crushes Simona Halep in quarter-finals

Serena Williams brushed aside Simona Halep in just over an hour as she sealed her place in the semi-finals at the Cincinnati Masters this evening.

The world number one overwhelmed her Romanian opponent in the first set, securing it 6-0 in 16 minutes.

However, the 21-year-old was able to improve her serve in the second, which saw each player claim a break early in the set, sharing the first eight games 4-4.

Williams was able to up her game though, to break Halep again before serving the set out to secure a spot in the last four in straight sets.

The top seed will play Li Na in the semi-finals.