Kvitova, Halep advance to semifinals in New Haven

Petra Kvitova and Simona Halep stormed into the New Haven Open semifinals.
NEW HAVEN (AP) - Defending champion Petra Kvitova advanced to the semifinals of the New Haven Open, beating Russia s Anastasia Pavlyuchenkova 2-6, 6-2, 7-5 on Thursday.
Romania s Simona Halep also advanced with a 6-1, 7-6 (6) win over Russia s Ekaterina Makarova.
Rain delayed the start of play in both matches by more than 90 minutes, and each included hour-long rain delays during play.
Halep will play the winner of Thursday night s quarterfinal match between four-time New Haven champion Caroline Wozniacki of Denmark and rising American star Sloane Stephens.
Kvitova will face either Russia s Elena Vesnina or the Czech Republic s Klara Zakopalova.