Halep in the hunt for No 1

Romanian star poised to take Pliskova's perch

CINCINNATI - Second-ranked Simona Halep charged closer to taking the world No 1 ranking on Thursday, beating Latvian 15th seed Anastasija Sevastova 6-4, 6-3 to reach the quarterfinals at the ATP/WTA Cincinnati.

Romania's Halep, a French Open runner-up for the second time in June, can overtake defending champ Karolina Pliskova of the Czech Republic by winning the title in the final major tuneup ahead of the US Open.