World number two Simona Halep knocked out the former world number one Maria Sharapova in the China Open this morning.

Halep brushed aside the Sharapova 6-2, 6-2 in the third round for her first win over the Russian in eight attempts. It was Sharapova’s first straight-sets defeat of the season in one hour and 12 minutes.

Meanwhile, French Open champion Jelena Ostapenko of Latvia took one step closer to qualifying for the season-ending WTA finals in Singapore with a 6-3 7-5 win over Australia’s Samantha Stosur in round two.

Also advancing to the third round were china’s Peng Shuai, and Caroline Garcia of France.