Paris, June 4: Simona Halep marched into the quarter-finals of the French Open with an emphatic victory over Elise Mertens.
The World No 1 dominated the 16th seed in the opening match on Court Philippe Chatrier on Monday (June 4), taking just 59 minutes to win 6-2, 6-1.
Top seed Halep, eyeing her first grand slam title, ended Mertens' 13-match winning run with a ruthless thrashing in their only previous meeting in Madrid last month and dished out more punishment at Roland Garros.
Halep, runner-up for the second time in Paris last year, had a first-serve percentage of 75 and broke six times in a dominant performance, setting up a meeting with Angelique Kerber or Caroline Garcia.
World No.1 @Simona_Halep rolls past Mertens 6-2 6-1 to reach her third Roland-Garros quarterfinal.#RG18 pic.twitter.com/43F6Fh322N
— Roland-Garros (@rolandgarros) June 4, 2018
A vibrant Halep applied the pressure in the third game to take an early break, coming up with a majestic forehand winner down the line before a stray forehand from the Belgian.
The sprightly Romanian served superbly and worked her opponent from side to side with powerful groundstrokes, breaking again to lead 5-2 after putting away a magnificent cross-court backhand.
Inside RG : Watch Nadal's training ! @RafaelNadal will play today against Maximilian Marterer. #RG18 pic.twitter.com/4zXvUC9IXL
— Roland-Garros (@rolandgarros) June 4, 2018
Halep served out the set with no trouble at all and a struggling Mertens gifted her a break in the opening game of the second when she drilled a forehand volley into the tramlines.
The 2017 runner-up raced ahead and was just one game from victory when she broke to love, a bullied Mertens given the runaround before the 22-year-old lifted a backhand long at full stretch.
Belgian flags were flying when Mertens delayed the inevitable and avoided a bagel with a blistering backhand winner, but they were nowhere to be seen when a double fault put her out of her misery.
Later, Daria Kasatkina reeled off three games on the spin to dump Caroline Wozniacki out. Following a suspension due to bad light a day prior, the two competitors resumed on Court Philippe Chatrier with Kasatkina a set up with the second finely balanced at 3-3.
"A dream come true to play on this court. It was my dream since childhood so I’m really happy to be here."
— Roland-Garros (@rolandgarros) June 4, 2018
-@DKasatkina #RG18 pic.twitter.com/LEsGDVG0Av
But any hopes of a Wozniacki turnaround were swiftly ended as the 14th seed completed a 7-6 (7-5) 6-3 success to reach her maiden grand slam quarter-final, where she will face US Open champion Sloane Stephens.
Rafael Nadal dismissed talk that life has been easy for him so far at this year's French Open, insisting there is a "big test" every day.
The reigning champion booked his place in the quarter-finals at Roland Garros with victory against Maximilian Marterer on Monday, continuing a streak of straight-set wins at this year's tournament.
But Nadal, the overwhelming favourite to seal what would be his 11th French Open triumph, is not concerned that he is yet to face a significant adversary in the competition, having been worked hard by a determined Marterer.
"My big test is every day. This was [an] important test," he told a news conference. "I am in the quarter-finals and the biggest test now is the next round.
"I go day by day and I am not worried about if I have had a test or I haven't had a test. I just worry about trying to be at 100 per cent for the next day that I have to play.
"That's my goal and I know, if I make that happen, if I'm able to play with my highest intensity and with the right level, [while there] will be always a tough match, I can have my chances to keep going.
"Every day, you go on court. You can win; you can lose. That's the only thing that you need to be ready for."
STATISTICAL BREAKDOWN Kasatkina [14] bt Wozniacki [2] 7-6 (7-5), 6-3
WINNERS/UNFORCED ERRORS Kasatkina - 23/35 Wozniacki - 19/33
ACES/DOUBLE FAULTS Kasatkina - 1/6 Wozniacki - 0/1
BREAK POINTS WON Kasatkina - 4/10 Wozniacki - 3/7
FIRST SERVE PERCENTAGE Kasatkina - 80 Wozniacki - 69
PERCENTAGE OF POINTS WON ON FIRST/SECOND SERVE Kasatkina - 64/28 Wozniacki - 57/45
TOTAL POINTS Kasatkina - 77 Wozniacki - 72
STATISTICAL BREAKDOWN Halep [1] bt Mertens [16] 6-2, 6-1
WINNERS/UNFORCED ERRORS Halep – 16/13 Mertens – 13/22
ACES/DOUBLE FAULTS Halep – 1/1 Mertens – 1/4
BREAK POINTS WON Halep – 6/9 Mertens – 1/2
FIRST SERVE PERCENTAGE Halep – 75 Mertens – 56
PERCENTAGE OF POINTS WON ON FIRST/SECOND SERVE Halep – 63/70 Mertens – 48/28
TOTAL POINTS Halep – 61 Mertens – 37
Source: OPTA
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