Paris: World No.1 Simona Halep showed her full repertoire of strokes and sealed a quarterfinal berth by crushing Belgian Elise Mertens 6-2 6-1 in the women’s singles of the French Open here, Monday.
However, it was not a lucky day for World No.2 Caroline Wozniacki as she was sent packing by Russian Daria Kasatkina 6-7(5-7), 3-6.
Romanian Halep, twice a runner-up at Roland Garros, started slowly but once she found her groove, there was nothing the 16th seed could do to avoid a one-sided defeat. Halep will next meet former World No.1 Angelique Kerber who doused local hopes with a 6-2, 6-3 win over Frenchwoman Caroline Garcia.
“It was not that easy, she is a tough opponent,” said Halep, who is chasing her maiden Grand Slam title. “I was a bit nervous at the start of the match but I played my best match here at Roland Garros.”
Kasatkina, the 14th seed, had played beautifully to lead 7-6, 3-3 Sunday when play was called off. When play resumed Monday, she quickly hammered Wozniacki out of the competition winning three games in a row.
At a glance
Simona Halep bt Elise Mertens 6-2 6-1
Daria Kasatkina bt Caroline Wozniacki 7-6(7-5), 6-3
Angelique Kerber bt Caroline Garcia 6-2, 6-3