World number one Simona Halep has another chance to finally land her first Grand Slam title after beating Garbine Muguruza in the French Open semi-finals.

The Romanian, 26, won 6-1 6-4 against the Spanish third seed.

She will now face Sloane Stephens in Saturday’s final after the US Open champion beat Madison Keys 6-4 6-4.

Halep has lost three previous Grand Slam finals, including two at Roland Garros in 2014 and 2017.

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‘One of my best matches on clay’

The Romanian arrived in Paris as the top seed and the leading player on the WTA Tour this year, hoping this would be the moment she finally lands her first major.

She further proved her credentials with a dominant, yet gutsy, win over 2016 champion Muguruza, who failed to hold serve in the first set.

“I think I played one of my best matches on clay,” Halep said. “Every day I play better and that makes me happy.”

One thing Halep will not want to dwell on is the fact she has won only one of her past eight finals – including a defeat by Jelena Ostapenko in last year’s Roland Garros showpiece.

Halep also lost to five-time Grand Slam champion Maria Sharapova in 2014, while she was also beaten in this year’s Australian Open final by Caroline Wozniacki.

“I have more experience now,” she said. “I feel calm. I feel that I have to enjoy this victory because it’s a great match.

“And I have two more days until I will play the final. So I will relax and then we will see what is going to happen Saturday. But for sure, I will fight for every ball.”

Muguruza undone by ‘lightning’ start

Halep spent an hour longer on court than Muguruza in their respective quarter-finals on Wednesday, needing three sets to beat German 12th seed Angelique Kerber.

By contrast, Muguruza breezed past Sharapova in a ruthless victory, but any thoughts those differing levels of energy burned would hinder Halep and motivate Muguruza were swiftly dismissed.

Wimbledon champion Muguruza, considered the slight favourite by many, handed her serve over in the first game with a double fault on break point and Halep raced 5-0 ahead in the opening set.

Halep lost focus to allow Muguruza to claw back one break, only to break again herself to seal the first set in 36 minutes.

“She started playing very well immediately and I wasn’t able to reach the level that she was playing at. It was just lightning,” said Muguruza.

The 24-year-old improved in the early stages of the second set, holding serve for the first time and backing it up with a break on her way to a 3-1 lead.

That became 4-2 before Halep broke back for 4-4 and then held serve in a 14-minute game which went to a seventh deuce and saw Muguruza blow three break points.

It was a gutsy hold which proved pivotal in the match and – if Halep goes on to win the final – in her career.

Halep broke to love as Muguruza wilted in the next game, sealing her third final appearance at Roland Garros and ensuring she will stay as world number one after the tournament.

“I think it was the most important game of the match,” Halep said on the penultimate game.

“The fact that I could win that long game, I won the next one easy, so it was a little bit of a mental part in the last game. I just didn’t give up.”

Stephens wins all-American battle

In a re-run of last year’s US Open final, Stephens once again got the better of her fellow American Madison Keys in two sets.

Tenth seed Stephens broke in the third game to gain an early grip on the first set, eventually serving it out and sealing it when Keys netted a forehand.

The second set followed a similar pattern as Keys lost her first service game, although there was brief hope for the 13th seed when she broke for the first time when Stephens was serving for the match at 5-2.

But ultimately she paid the price of 41 unforced errors as Stephens served out the match at the second time of asking, sealing victory with a backhand down the line.

It was the first time two American women had reached the last four at Roland Garros since 2002, when Serena Williams beat sister Venus in the final.

“It’s always hard playing someone from your country and your friend. I was pleased to get through that and play some good tennis,” Stephens, 25, said.

“This is one of my favourite tournaments. I’ve got another great opportunity on Saturday and I’m really looking forward to it.”

Gordon Reid beat defending champion and world number one Alfie Hewett in an all-British quarter-final of the men’s wheelchair singles at the French Open.

Scotland’s Reid came through 6-4 6-4 in 90 minutes against his doubles partner.

It was the first time the pair had been drawn together in the opening round of a Grand Slam.

Reid, who is looking for his third major singles title, will face Shingo Kunieda of Japan in the semi-finals at Roland Garros on Friday.

The Glasgow-born 26-year-old was a finalist in the competition in 2016, when he lost to Gustavo Fernandez of Argentina.

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Defending champion Rafael Nadal reached his 11th French Open semi-final after ruthlessly turning around his rain-delayed quarter-final against Argentine 11th seed Diego Schwartzman.

Top seed Nadal, 32, trailed 6-4 3-5 when play was halted on Wednesday.

The world number one, bidding for a record-extending 11th title, clinched the second set soon after the restart.

And he lost just four games on Thursday on his way to a 4-6 6-3 6-2 6-2 victory.

The Spaniard will face either Marin Cilic or Juan Martin del Potro, whose unfinished quarter-final was also moved over to Thursday, in Friday’s semi-final.

Whoever reaches the final from that side of the draw will face either Austrian seventh seed Dominic Thiem or unseeded Italian Marco Cecchinato in Sunday’s final.

More to follow.

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Britain’s Dan Evans moved into the quarter-finals of the Surbiton Trophy in Surrey with a 7-6 (7-4) 6-3 win over Germany’s Mats Moraing.

Evans, 28, was 41st in the world rankings in March 2017 before being suspended for 12 months after testing positive for cocaine in April 2017.

He will play Austria’s Jurgen Melzer, 37, in the quarter-finals on Friday.

In the women’s competition, Britain’s Gabriella Taylor moved into the last eight, but Katy Dunne was eliminated.

Taylor, 20, beat former British number one Heather Watson on Tuesday and followed that with a 6-2 6-3 victory over Hungary’s Fanny Stollar to set up a tie against Switzerland’s Conny Perrin.

“I did well considering I haven’t been feeling well and I was coughing non-stop during the match,” said Taylor, the world number 184.

“It was hard to get my breath back and sustain my level but in some ways it helped because I’ve got nothing to lose.

“I know I’m not 100% so it takes any kind of pressure off me and I just focused on being aggressive and believing in myself.”

Dunne, 23, was beaten 7-5 6-0 by American second seed Alison Riske.

Veteran Melzer next for Evans

Melzer reached the French Open semi-finals back in 2010 but is now ranked 1,245th after three injury-ruined seasons which have included lengthy absences because of serious shoulder, hip and elbow problems.

Evans is 858th in the world but will jump up the rankings after his win over world number 153 Moraing.

“He served well so it was a difficult match with not a lot of rallies,” said Evans.

“I hung in and tried to keep the ball in the court as much as possible. He’s been doing well lately so it’s a good win.”

Top seed Rafael Nadal will resume his fight to stay in the French Open on Thursday after his quarter-final against Argentina’s Diego Schwartzman was held up by rain.

Nadal, aiming for an 11th French Open title, trails the 11th seed 6-3 3-5.

The Spaniard lost his first set at Roland Garros since 2015 before a one-hour rain delay halted play.

Nadal, 32, fought back when the match resumed but more rain came and it was abandoned for the day at 18:37 BST.

Nadal and Schwartzman will resume a gripping last-eight match at 11:00 BST on Thursday, with the 25-year-old Argentine seeking to become only the third player to beat Nadal in 86 singles matches at the French Open.

Nadal suffered a shock last-16 loss to Sweden’s Robin Soderling in 2009 and, less surprisingly, to then-world number one Novak Djokovic in their 2015 quarter-final.

He also pulled out of the 2016 tournament with a wrist injury before his last-32 match against fellow Spaniard Marcel Granollers.

Wednesday’s other quarter-final was also postponed until 11:00 BST on Thursday because of the rain, with Croatian third seed Marin Cilic and Argentina’s Juan Martin del Potro level at 5-5 in a first-set tie-break.

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Who will the delay benefit?

Nadal is the hot favourite to win the tournament, having dominated on the red clay since making his debut in 2005.

But a seismic shock looked on the cards when Schwartzman, who has not beaten Nadal in five previous attempts, won the first set.

Despite only standing 5ft 7in, the Argentine possesses a stinging forehand and used it aggressively to rock 16-time major winner Nadal.

He hit 20 winners as Nadal’s winning streak of 37 sets at Roland Garros, going back to his 2015 quarter-final defeat by Novak Djokovic, was ended.

Nadal, who spent almost three months out of the game after the 2016 French Open with a wrist injury, needed treatment on both of his wrists at the end of the first set.

The world number one went a break down at 2-1 in the second set, only for Schwartzman to hand it straight back to love.

But the inspired Argentine broke Nadal again to claim a 3-2 lead.

Then came the hour-long rain break, which disrupted Schwartzman’s momentum and allowed Nadal to regroup.

Nadal, returning with his famed forehand finally firing on all cylinders, earned back-to-back breaks to move within a hold of the set.

He led 30-15 as he aimed to tie the match before more rain arrived and the players ran off court – this time for the night.

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