BARCELONA, Spain (AP) — Simona Halep of Romania ousted defending champion Roberta Vinci from the Barcelona Open on Tuesday.
Halep broke five times to secure a 6-1, 6-3 victory against the fourth-seeded Vinci, who had also won the outdoor clay tournament in 2009. It was the Italian’s second loss in 17 matches here.
Halep will play Carla Suarez Navarro in the quarterfinals after the Spanish player beat Petra Cetkovska 6-2, 6-4.
Seventh-seeded Sara Errani won the first 11 games, routing Estrella Cabeza Candela 6-0, 6-2.
Eighth-seeded Polona Hercog advanced when Sorana Cirstea retired because of dizziness after losing the first set 6-4.
