Simona Halep produces imperious double bagel in Madrid, with Naomi Osaka also on form
Simona Halep was in imperious form as she double-bageled Viktoria Kuzmova to move into the Madrid Open quarter-finals, where she will be joined by Naomi Osaka.
Halep , the third seed, blew the Slovenian away in just 44 minutes under the roof after rain interrupted the first set.
“[The roof] was good for me because the game was faster and I could play my best style,” said Halep, who lost just 12 points in the whole match.
“I think everything went very well for me to today. I felt the ball, every single shot.
“I don’t think it was her best match. Maybe she was nervous before the match a little bit.
“It’s a big tournament and it’s not easy to face the top players. I’ve been in that position.
“I played my best tennis and I felt good on court.”
Osaka’s progression wasn’t quite as dramatic, but she still had more than enough to defeat Aliaksandra Sasnovich 6-2, 6-3.
Last year’s finalist Kiki Bertens also impressed, beating Anastasija Sevastova for the third successive year in Madrid.
Ashleigh Barty also kept her winning streak alive with a 4-6, 6-1, 6-2 win over Yulia Putintseva, and Donna Vekic downed Kristyna Pliskova 6-4, 6-4.
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