The turning point of Simona Halep's summer season came when she put her racquet down.

Halep, who beat Victoria Azarenka to reach her first US Open semfinal today, said her shocking first-round upset loss at Wimbledon to world No. 106 Jana Cepelova prompted put her to put racquet away for nearly a month.

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Walking away from the game helped Halep clear her head and return recharged.

"After Wimbledon I said that the year is finished for me. I cannot win a match," Halep told the media after her three-set conquest of Azarenka today. "So I took the pressure off of myself. I was going home, relaxing. I didn't touch racquet for almost four weeks. I wanted just to forget about tennis, about official matches. I just wanted to come back with the pleasure on court and taking just, you know, the fun. Because that's why I played mixed here, to have fun and to refine the pleasure during the official matches."

Since that Wimbledon loss Halep has posted a 13-2 record with finals in Toronto and Cincinnati.

"And after I lost in Wimbledon, I said that that's the worst thing. Cannot be like worse than losing in first round in a Grand Slam," Halep said. "I went there with expectations in my mind. So that's why I change my mind now, and I feel much relaxed."

She will play two-time US Open semifinalist Flavia Pennetta for a spot in the US Open final. The 33-year-old Italian has won three of their four meetings, but Halep won their most recent match in Miami in March.

"Maybe we have similar game because she has a strong backhand," Halep said of Pennetta. "I have the strong backhand... It's just she's aggressive as well and I have to make her run like I do with all the players. But first I have to think about my game and what I have to do on court."

Photo credit: Andrew Patron/Camerasport