(photo: fox news)

2^nd seed Simona Halep stormed into the semifinals of the WTA Porsche Tennis Grand Prix in Stuttgart after toppling Italian Sara Errani 6-4 6-4 in the last-eight stage on Friday.

Currently ranked 3^rd in the world rankings, Halep is all set to overtake Russia’s Maria Sharapova as the World No. 2, after the latter suffered a stunning first-round exit from the tournament.

Up next, the Romanian is scheduled to cross the swords with 4^th seed Caroline Wozniacki of Denmark, who made short work of eighth-seeded Carla Suarez Navarro in the other quarterfinal battle.

“I’m happy because I need matches at the beginning of the clay season,” Halep told the official WTA website afterward.

“I think I did a great job today with my return and I stayed very close to the baseline, and I just tried to open the court more and to finish the balls,” she added.

Elsewhere, Angelique Kerber ousted 6^th seed Ekaterina Makarova 6-3 6-2, while American Madison Brendle also progressed to the semifinals with a 3-6 6-3 6-3 conquest of Caroline Garcia.