Simona Halep again proved herself the most exciting new young star on the WTA circuit as she rode the storm which had blown away so many of the seeds at the Qatar Open.

Halep, a 22-year-old Romanian who was voted WTA Tour newcomer of the year, needed less than an hour to overwhelm fourth-seeded Sara Errani, and allowed one of the tour’s gamest fighters only two games as she hurtled into the semi-finals.

Halep won the last seven games in succession and created a feeling that she will be climbing the top-10 standings she reached for the first time last month.

“Actually I could not run very well because I have an (achilles) injury,” Halep said to a mixture of amazement and amusement after her 6-2 6-0 success. “So I just wanted to be aggressive and finish the points as soon as I can.”

Eleven of the 15 seeds who started the tournament have failed to reach their allotted places.

Earlier, third-seeded Wimbledon winner Petra Kvitova was ousted almost as quickly by Jelena Jankovic, whose recovery from a career-threatening plunge continued.

The 6-1 6-3 victory was emphatic. Kvitova, not so long ago within two wins of becoming world No.1 herself, was only briefly in the match.

She began the second set with one of the only two service games she held, and which took her to 2-0 and then 3-1. But that was the last game Kvitova won.

“I am very consistent and that is what I am trying to do against the top players,” said Jankovic. “You have to be at the top of your game if you want to beat players like this.”

Kvitova was probably affected by a recent illness and two very hard three-setters – one against friend Lucie Safarova, and the other against Venus Williams when she saved a match point.

“Everything hurts,” said Kvitova. “I feel almost everything on my body. That’s quite tough, but it’s not like being injured. I tried, but, yeah, I wasn’t really ready for it.”

For Jankovic, the victory was a further indication that her climb, up to world No.8, is continuing.

Jankovic next has a semi-final with Angelique Kerber, the sixth-seeded German, whose progress came with embarrassing ease, 6-0 6-1 against Petra Cetkowska.

The Czech player seemed drained by the previous day’s efforts over two and three-quarter hours in beating Li Na, the top-seeded Australian Open champion from China.

In the other semi-final, Halep plays second-seeded Agnieszka Radwanska, the Pole impressing in a 6-2 6-1 win over Yanina Wickmayer.