Madrid (AFP) - Simona Halep closed in on a return to the top of the world rankings after beating Belinda Bencic 6-2, 6-7 (2/7), 6-0 on Friday to advance to the Madrid Open final while men's top seed Novak Djokovic made the semi-finals without hitting a ball. Halep, currently number three in the world, will reclaim the number one ranking should she win her third title at the Caja Magica. Bencic had defeated Halep in their last two matches, but the reigning French Open champion, who lifted the trophy in Madrid in 2016 and 2017, came through in just under two hours. World number one and two-time Madrid champion Djokovic, meanwhile, walked into the semi-finals when ninth seed Marin Cilic withdrew before their match with stomach problems. "I am sorry to announce that I must withdraw from today's match. I have had a terrible night dealing with a case of food poisoning," wrote Cilic in a statement. "I am extremely disappointed to have my time in Madrid end in this way. Thank you for the support." In the semi-final on Saturday, Djokovic will face either Roger Federer or 2018 finalist Dominic Thiem. Halep awaits either Dutch seventh seed Kiki Bertens, a finalist in Madrid last year, or 2017 US Open champion Sloane Stephens. "It's such a nice feeling to be back in the final here. I really enjoy playing in Madrid, it motivates me," Halep said. The third seed comfortably claimed the opening set but let her game lapse slightly in the second. Bencic, who opened the door for Halep to possibly return to the top of the world ranking with her quarter-final defeat of current number one Naomi Osaka, took a tight second set in a tiebreaker. But Halep pulled herself together to blitz Bencic in the third as she raced to a victory that increases her chances of returning to the top of the pile. "I was rushing too much in the second-set tiebreaker," Halep said. I was missing too many easy balls -- I lost control of that tiebreak. "In the third I just started over again, I played smarter, opening up the court and being more aggressive."<doc-sep>At one point here, you could have entered any of the Caja Magica’s three main arenas and seen a Swiss player on the charge. Not bad for a country of 8.4 million, the majority of whom favour football and ice hockey over tennis. While Roger Federer, Stan Wawrinka and Belinda Bencic might cover a 16-year generational spectrum, they all possess perfect technique and can thread a ball through a cat flap if required. Those control freaks at the Lawn Tennis Association should note Switzerland’s laissez-faire approach, which leaves promising young prospects to make their own developmental decisions. All three members of the cuckoo-clock club scored victories, but it was Bencic who will remember the day most warmly. For the second time this season, she overcame world No 1 Naomi Osaka, producing stinging service returns to fight back from a 5-3 deficit in the deciding set. Her reward is a semi-final on Friday against Simona Halep, the French Open champion. Bencic’s return to relevance – she will climb to at least No 15 in the world on Monday – feels particularly heartwarming after she was subjected to one of the worst nightmares for any player: surgery on her wrist tendons. Having risen so quickly that she won a main-draw match at the Australian Open while still only 16, it seemed that she might disappear down the same plug hole as Britain’s Laura Robson – another teenage prodigy whose wrists gave up on her.<doc-sep>Halep has the opportunity to move back to the top of the WTA rankings with a win in Saturday's final against Bertens. Two-time Madrid winner Halep broke the unseeded Bencic in the first game of the first set, the Swiss' errant reverse flying out, but she broke back to tie at 2-2. The Romanian's down-the-line shot sealed another break in the penultimate game and she served out to win it comfortably in 27 minutes. WTA Madrid Bertens defeats Halep to win Madrid Open 11/05/2019 AT 18:32 Halep won virtually all of the long rallies, but Bencic reacted well at the start of the second set, playing more aggressively. Bencic broke to go 3-1, enjoying a stroke of luck with a shot that clipped the net and dropped just over. Halep battled back, earning a tie-break, but Bencic won it comfortably to force a deciding set, although she immediately started to struggle. At three games down, she cried during the break, visibly emotional, with Halep immediately breaking for 4-0 when play resumed, going on to wrap up the set and the match with ease. "It's a nice feeling to be back in the final of this special tournament, I'm really happy playing here," said Halep. "In the second set in that tie break I was rushing too much, I lost control of it, but then I just calmed down, told myself I had to start the match again. "I started to play smarter, opened the court more and became more aggressive." Seventh seed Bertens reached her second straight final in Madrid as she gained revenge on reigning champion Petra Kvitova in the last eight before defeating Sloane Stephens 6-2 7-5 on Friday. Bertens had to save three set points against Stephens but eventually recorded her first victory against the American in their third encounter. The Dutch world number seven triumphed in St Petersburg this season and is going for her ninth career title on Saturday. "I feel unbelievable of course, it's great to be in the final and I'm happy to finish it in two (sets)," said Bertens. "It's going to be really tough (against Halep), we played each other in the past so I know it will be a tough battle, but I'm ready for it, one more push here." WTA Madrid World number one Osaka exits Madrid Open 09/05/2019 AT 21:51<doc-sep>World no. 3 and two-time Madrid champion is through to the fourth semi-final at the Spanish capital following a hard-fought 7-5, 7-5 win over Ashleigh Barty in an hour and 31 minutes. This was their fourth encounter and the third win for the Romanian who lost to the Aussie in Sydney in January, snapping Barty's 11-match winning streak and securing the 24th win here in the last 24 clashes! Serving at 87%, Simona lost 19 points in 12 service games and saved two out of four break points to mount the pressure on Ashleigh who couldn't deal with it in the end. Losing 42% of the points behind the initial shot, Barty suffered four breaks from nine chances offered to the Romanian, spraying almost 40 errors and failing to deliver her best tennis when it mattered the most, despite a great effort. Simona drew first blood in the fifth game, opening a 5-3 lead before Ashleigh broke back with a forehand down the line winner in game ten to level the score at 5-5 and prolong the set. Halep earned another break in the next game and sealed the opener with a backhand crosscourt winner on own serve for a 7-5. World no. 3 forged an early lead in the second set with a break at love in the opening game, staying in front until game eight when Barty broke back for more drama, giving her best to overpower the more experienced clay-courter. The decisive moment occurred in the 11th game when Halep grabbed another break, wrapping up the victory with a forehand down the line winner to stay on the title course. Simona could become world no. 1 again with the title after Belinda Bencic took down Naomi Osaka 3-6, 6-2, 7-5 in two hours and 11 minutes. The Swiss has been on a roll in 2019, delivering five top-5 wins over Simona Halep, Karolina Pliskova, Petra Kvitova and twice over Naomi Osaka who had a big chance to avoid this defeat. The Japanese led 5-3 in the decider, two points away from the win twice on the return in the next game before Belinda held and broke back to level the score at 5-5 and cross the finish line first after winning the final four games.<doc-sep>
World no. 3 and a former Madrid champion Simona Halep is through to the 35th WTA final, defeating Belinda Bencic 6-2, 6-7, 6-0 in an hour and 57 minutes. This was the 25th win in Madrid in the last 28 matches for the Romanian and she is now one triumph away from becoming world no. 1 again if she beats Sloane Stephens or Kiki Bertens in the final on Saturday. Belinda was on the verge of defeat against Naomi Osaka yesterday before she performed a great escape for one of her best results on clay, giving her best to overcome a slow start today before falling in the deciding set when she ran out of gas. Serving at 71%, Simona delivered solid numbers behind the initial shot, fending off three out of six break points and keeping the pressure on the Swiss who gave serve away eight times from 13 opportunities offered to the Romanian. They had a similar number of winners (Bencic was in front before the deciding set) and Halep made fewer errors, taming her shots nicely and saving energy for the final set after a great run in Madrid this week that even brought a double bagel to her tally. Simona made a strong start, breaking in the opening game of the match and grabbing 16 of the last 20 points at 2-2 for a 6-2, dictating the pace of the rallied and standing as a wall ready to return every shot from Bencic with even higher velocity. They traded four breaks in the first five games of the second set and Belinda was prepared to fight in the remaining games and stay in contention, wasting a set point at 6-5 and clinching the tie break 7-2 to prolong the clash and send it into a decider. There, Simona took charge and wrapped the things up in less than 30 minutes, losing only 12 points in six games and delivering a bagel for the best possible finish and the place in the title match.