WTA World No.1 Simona Halep has qualified for the Australian Open quarterfinals on Monday, January 22, after a two-set victory against Japan’s Naomi Osaka.

The Romanian defeated Osaka 6-3, 6-2 in one hour and 19 minutes.

This is the third time Halep qualifies for the quarterfinals at Australian Open, after reaching this stage of the tournament in 2014 and 2015. Last year, she stopped in the first round after American player Shelby Rogers defeated her 6-3, 6-1.

Reffering to Monday’s match, Simona Halep said: “I played pretty good and I'm happy that I am back in the quarterfinals here."

Next, Halep will meet either No.6 seed Karolina Pliskova or No.20 seed Barbora Strycova.

Simona Halep had a great start of the year, as she won both finals at the Shenzhen Open, the first official tournament she played in the new season.

Irina Marica, irina.marica@romania-insider.com

(photo source: Australian Open on Facebook)