Halep, Muguruza close on hat-tricks in Australian Open quarter-finals

Simona Halep and Garbine Muguruza are each chasing a hat-trick of Grand Slam titles as they head into Wednesday's quarter-finals in an Australian Open where most of the top seeds have fallen by the wayside.

History-chasing Serena Williams and defending champion Naomi Osaka were chief among six of the top 10 women's seeds who tumbled out in round three.

After top seed Ashleigh Barty, Halep is the highest remaining seed at four and is in full flow, not dropping a set in reaching the last eight.

Despite several shocks in Melbourne, Halep will be expected to defeat 28th seed Anett Kontaveit of Estonia and the Romanian's coach said she has learnt to better control her emotions.

"She's still as stressed on the court as she always is, but she's learning ways to deal with it and to handle it," said the Australian Darren Cahill.

Halep, the beaten 2018 finalist, has come up with a novel way of attempting to keep herself in check.

All aces by players at the Australian Open earn a donation to a bushfire relief fund, but Halep has promised to give $200 each time that she berates Cahill during a match.

Cahill, who is totting up how much Halep owes, sees another change in the 28-year-old Halep, who won the French Open in 2018 and Wimbledon last year.

"What I'm most proud of is that fight that she's showing when a few things go against her," he said.

"That's been the big change in her I have seen over the last two or three years."
- 'She's trusting' -
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"There was a lot of time actually to work on things, on things that were needed. I think the results are here."