Ekaterina Makarova and Simona Halep faced off on Tuesday in their quarter-final clash at the Australian Open.
Both women were looking to secure their first semi-final berth in the competition following a string of solid performances in the tournament.
However, it was the number 10 seed Makarova who advanced to her second Grand Slam semi-final as she defeated the error-prone sixth seed 6-4 6-0 in the Rod Laver Arena.
Read how all the action unfolded in our commentary below.
Good evening and welcome to the live commentary of the quarter-final match between Ekaterina Makarova and Simona Halep in the Australian Open.
Makarova overcame Julia Goerges in straight sets in the fourth round with an impressive performance to reach her third visit to the round of eight in the competition. The number 10 seed will be hoping to reach the semi-finals of the Australian Open for the first time in her career.
Halep beat Yanina Wickmayer in straight sets in the round of 16 to reach this stage of the competition. The 23-year-old will be hoping to reach the third Grand Slam semi-final in her career this evening, and the first in Australia.
These two players have played each other just once before in 2013 where Halep ran out the victor in straight sets 6-1 7-6 in New Haven.
The players are going through the last of their warm-ups so we should be underway shortly.
Right we are ready for the off. Halep will serve first.
BREAK! Halep starts with a solid point off her second serve as she creates space to hit a forehand winner on the right side of the court. However, she struggles in the next two points with two unforced errors into the net on her forehand. Makarova plays well to earn two break points as he manoeuvres Halep into the corner and her backhand slice goes out. The Russian takes the break as Halep smashes another forehand into the net. A great start for the 10th seed.
The Russian gets a bit of luck on the first point as the ball clips the net and bounces over, but a poor shot on the volley from the 26-year-old brings Halep level as he misses the line. Halep commits two unforced errors to put Makarova in charge as he slams another forehand into the net, while she shanks her return from the next serve. The Russian wins the game with excellent tennis as she works Halep around the court before picking her spot.
Halep wins the first point in the game as Makarova finds the net for the first time in the match, but another error from the number 23-year-old brings the Russian level. Good tennis from Halep edges her ahead again, but back-to-back double faults hand Makarova another break point. Halep shows further signs of her nerves as she miscues a smash after putting the 10th seed on the back foot to fall 3-0 behind in the set.
BREAK! Halep continues to struggle as he misses the court on a simple forehand with the Russian again on the back foot. Better tennis from the third seed as he hits a deep backhand onto the feet of Makarova who can't return it, while her forehand clicks into gear with a rapid return right down the line. Halep earns two break points with another fine shot on her backhand, but a solid serve and a miscue from the Romanian brings deuce. However, Halep earns a break back with a solid strike and an error from Makarova on her forehand.
Halep continues her resurgence as she nails her first serve which yields the first point of the game, while she does extremely well to take control of the game with an excellent backhand after Makarova had her on the ropes. Two further mistakes from the Russian hand Halep the game, and just like that she's back in the set.
Excellent tennis all round on the first point of the game as the women exchange several powerful shots before Makarova finally works Halep over with a fine forehand. A strong serve follows from the Russian, but Halep forces her way in the game with a venomous strike on a short return from the 26-year-old. Mistakes from Makarova brings about deuce in the game, but she ups the ante late on to take a 4-2 lead with the aid of a poor shot from the Romanian.
The game starts with mistakes from Makarova as she hits the net twice with loose forehands, but the Romanian brings her right back into the game at 30-30 with two errors of her own. A good rally follows between the duo which lasts for over 15 shots before Makarova goes for the line with her forehand and misses. Halep gets the hold with an excellent serve down the middle, which the Russian can't return.
Makarova starts with a poor forehand drive as she attempts to go for depth, but overhits her shot. Another error from the Russian hands Halep control of the game at 30-0, but she manages to rally with a good forehand after working Halep around the court and levels the game. Halep earns a break point as Makarova hits the net again, but Halep commits two mistakes to lose the game.
Halep puts Makarova on the back foot immediately with strong points to start the game, as he dominates using her forehand to good effect. The Russian responds with good tennis of her own to force the mistake from the Romanian after hitting the corners in the court on back-to-back points. Makarova uses her power again to push the 23-year-old back and brings another mistake to bring up set point, before Halep restores parity with a strong forehand down the line. She closes out the game with an ace to force Makarova to serve out for the first set.
SET! Makarova begins with a well worked point as he moves Halep around the court before smashing a winner. A misguided forehand shows the pressure of the situation for the Russian, but she responds with a strong serve down the 'T'. The 26-year-old earns two set points with a well executed backhand into the corner. Halep continues to show fight, but the set is Makarova's as Romanian finds the net once more.
BREAK! A much stronger start to the second set than the first for Halep as she uses her serve to great effect to outmaneuvre the Russian, but good tennis from the 10th seed brings her level in the match with one vicious forehand the highlight. Two double faults in a row hand Makarova a break point, while Halep misses the line on a crucial passing shot to hand the Russian the first game. After a bright start Halep has handed control of the set to the Russian.
Mistake feature highly at the start of the second game of the set as the pattern of the match continues. Makarova hits the net with a loose backhand, and then overhits her forehand on the next shot to hand Halep control of the game. Halep hits a winner to earn three break points, but the Russian rallies with good tennis to cut it to a single point. Her serve comes her rescue again with a shot down the 'T' to force a couple of errors from Halep to bring up a game point. Makarova secures a crucial hold as Halep overhits her forehand, which could be a long way in helping her secure the match.
BREAK! Halep starts well in the game as he quickly races into a 30-0 lead with a couple of strong forehands, which Makarova fails to return. However, the Russian hits back strongly is able to tie the game with some excellent tennis of her own as she works the Romanian around the court. Two mistakes from Halep come at the worst possible time as the 10th seeds earns another break. We're in exactly the same situation as the first set.
The nerves get to Makarova at the start of the game as he makes a couple of poor mistakes to allow the Halep a chance at breaking back like the first set. However, she manages to regroup to hit back at the Romanian to take the game to deuce. A forehand winner earns Halep a break point, but the 10th seed comes roaring back to win two straight points to take the game and surely now the match.
BREAK! Makarova mixes her game up at the start with a couple of drop shots which cause Halep major problem as she hangs at the back of the court. Halep uses her power at the back of the court to get back into the match, but the Russian earns a break point to put her on the brink. Halep makes yet another mistake in the match as she uses too much loft on her backhand slice as the ball crashes out.
GAME, SET, MATCH! Makarova coasts through the to the semi-finals of the tournament as Makarova has one of the simplest holds you will see wins the game without having to play a shot in anger.
#Makarova serves her way into her first semifinal here, taking out No.3 #Halep 6-4 6-0 #ausopen pic.twitter.com/Zux6f7YkSg
— Australian Open (@AustralianOpen) January 27, 2015
A delighted Ekaterina Makarova as he books her place in her second Grand Slam semi-final and her first in Australia, where she will take on the winner of the match between Maria Sharapova and Eugenie Bouchard. Her performance in the first set was ok as she took advantage of poor play from Simona Halep, but the 26-year-old really upped the ante in the second to claim the victory.
This is a match Halep will want to forget in a hurry. She looked nervous from the first game and never settled into a rhythm as made many costly mistakes, often producing her worst tennis as the worst possible time.
Thanks for joining our commentary of this match. Next up we'll have the match between Maria Sharapova and Eugenie Bouchard.
Written by
Simon Sinclair
Simon Sinclair
