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Tennis: Halep holds top ranking as Keys withdraws in Rome

Tennis - WTA Mandatory - Madrid Open - Madrid, Spain - May 10, 2018 Romania's Simona Halep during her quarter final match against Czech Republic's Karolina Pliskova REUTERS/Paul Hanna

ROME (Reuters) - Romanian Simona Halep will extend her stay as world number one after being handed a walkover into the Italian Open quarter-finals when American Madison Keys withdrew injured on Thursday. Halep needed to reach at least the quarter-finals and go further than world number two Caroline Wozniacki to retain the top-ranking going into the French Open. Keys, runner-up in Rome in 2016, was unable to take to court because of a right rib injury. "I felt my rib in my match yesterday and after trying to warm up this morning it was still painful," she said. Halep, runner-up last year, will play either Sloane Stephens or Caroline Garcia in the last eight. (Reporting by Martyn Herman; Editing by Toby Davis)