Paris: Former runner-up Simona Halep and two-time Wimbledon champion Petra Kvitova won their second round matches at the French Open yesterday.
Sixth seed Halep, the losing finalist to Maria Sharapova in 2014, endured a rollercoaster tie on Court Philippe Chatrier against Zarina Diyas of Kazakhstan before securing a 7-6 (7/5), 6-2 win.
Halep, 24, was 1-4 down in the first set to the world number 90 before rallying and grabbing the tie-break.
The opening set featured six breaks of serve before the Romanian coasted through the second.
Halep will next face Japan’s Naomi Osaka, the world 101 who has reached the third round at a major for the second successive time having also enjoyed a run to the last 32 in Australia.
Osaka, 18, knocked out 34-year-old Mirjana Lucic-Baroni 6-3, 6-3 which would have been relief to Halep who lost to the world number 52 Croatian at the French Open last year and US Open in 2014.
“It was very tough in the first set having to come back from 1-4 down,” said Halep.
“But I found a better rhythm in the second set, tried to open the court and hit drive volleys.”
Osaka, making her Roland Garros debut, hadn’t won on clay all season before this week.
“I am adjusting to clay but I’d rather do better here than at smaller tournaments,” said Osaka.
Kvitova, the 10th seed, saw off Taiwan’s Su-Wei Hsieh 6-4, 6-1 in a much more comfortable outing than her opener against Danka Kovinic where she had been just two points away from defeat at one stage.
Kvitova, a semi-finalist in 2012, next faces Shelby Rogers of the United States.
Russian 13th seed Svetlana Kuznetsova, the 2009 champion, was too strong for Britain’s Heather Watson winning 6-1, 6-3.
Kuznetsova next faces Fed Cup teammate Anastasia Pavlyuchenkova who saw off Cagla Buyukakcay, the first Turkish woman to win a match at a Grand Slam, 6-3, 4-6, 6-1.
Spanish fourth seed Garbine Muguruza defeated French wildcard Myrtille Georges 6-2, 6-0 and next tackles Belgium’s Yanina Wickmayer.
Russian 13th seed Svetlana Kuznetsova, the 2009 champion, was too strong for Britain’s Heather Watson winning 6-1, 6-3.
Kuznetsova will now face Fed Cup teammate Anastasia Pavlyuchenkova who saw off Cagla Buyukakcay, the first Turkish woman to win a match at a Grand Slam, 6-3, 4-6, 6-1.
Later in the day, second seed Agnieszka Radwanska of Poland reached the last 32 with a 6-2, 6-4 win over France’s Caroline Garcia.
Radwanska, a quarter-finalist in 2013, will face Barbora Strycova of the Czech Republic for a place in the last 16.