World No.1 Simona Halep has defeated Australian Ashleigh Barty in straight sets to reach the final of the Coupe Rogers in Montreal.
It was the first time the two players had met but Halep just 70 minutes to dispose of Barty 6-4 6-1 and move into her third Canadian final.
Halep has the 2016 Rogers Cup crown and also played in the final in Toronto in 2015 but only made the semifinals last year.
After securing a two-break lead, thanks to her movement across the caught which caught Barty off guard, Halep suffered a slump and lost her serve for the first and only time in the match.
However, a quick chat with coach Darren Cahill on the changeover got her back on track before the second set became a one-sided affair.
A moment to enjoy and learn... Too good today, Sim. Looking forward to the dubs final tomorrow ☺️ pic.twitter.com/Yzg6YSolh5
— Ash Barty (@ashbar96) August 11, 2018
It's not over for Barty as she qualified for the doubles final with Demi Schuurs with the pair set to face either Andreja Klepač and María José Martínez Sánchez or Latisha Chan and Ekaterina Makarova.
Barty and Schuurs won the Italian Open on clay earlier this year.
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