Melbourne, Australia: Simona Halep advanced to the Australian Open quarterfinals for the second straight year with a 6-4, 6-2 win over Yanina Wickmayer of Belgium on Sunday
The 23-year-old Romanian has moved through the first four rounds in Melbourne without dropping a set. Wickmayer, ranked 80th, had won the pair's two previous matches.
No. 3-seeded Halep was the runner-up at the French Open and a semifinalist at Wimbledon last year.
Halep faces No. 10 Ekaterina Makarova in the quarterfinals and could meet Maria Sharapova in the semifinals for a repeat of their French Open final last year won by Sharapova.
