Indian Wells: Strong Finish Powers Simona Halep Into Semi-Finals

Simona Halep came storming back from an opening set loss to beat Carla Suarez 5-7, 6-1, 6-1 and advance to her second straight Indian Wells semi-final.

The 23-year-old from Romania said after Wednesday's match that the most important thing is not how you start, but how you finish the match.

"It doesn't matter if you lose the first set or second set," Halep said. "You just have to continue the game and to continue to believe that you can still win."

That's because Halep has gone three sets in three of her four matches in this event. But she says she doesn't mind because the more court time she gets, the more time she has to perfect her game.

"I expected to run a lot today and to have like a two or three hours to play."

Halep moves through to the semi-finals where she will square off against either world number one Serena Williams.

"It is nice to be in the semi-finals two years in a row," Halep said. "Last year I had a good tournament and this year I can say I am playing better than last year.

"I am more confident and feeling the ball better. I am feeling better because I am dominating the matches in the end."

Halep hit two aces, committed three double faults and broke Suarez eight times in the almost two-hour match.

The world No. 13 Suarez would have cracked the top ten in world rankings if she had made it to the Indian Wells final.