Simona Halep was ‘happy’ with her display as she moved into the second round in Madrid with a 6-0 6-4 win over Margarita Gasparyan
The Romanian, who is looking for her third title in Madrid, overcame a tough second set to move into the next round with some smooth tennis.
While some of Halep’s rivals struggled as Elina Svitolina’s knee problems continue after being knocked out by Pauline Parmentier in straight sets.
There were also defeats for home favourite Garbine Muguruza, Madison Keys and Julia Goerges as the round one action concluded today.
After a winning the first set in 22 minutes in convincing fashion, the reigning Roland Garros champion had a tougher second set as she saw her 5-2 lead narrow down.
But a break in the final set secured the match for the world number three as she continues her preparations for the French Open next month.
After the match Halep was happy with her overall level as she looks to send a message to the rest of the field, “It was a good match, even if the first set was fast,” Halep explained in her on-court interview.
“The second one was tougher, and I feel happy that I could win this match.I did everything I could today and I’m happy with the victory.”
Next up for Simona Halep could be Rabat finalist Johanna Konta as the former world number one looks to reclaim her world number one spot.
Also in the mix for the world number one spot are Angelique Kerber and current world number one Naomi Osaka, who both registered straight sets wins today.
The current number one, Osaka came back from a break down in both sets to beat Dominika Cibulkova 6-2 7-6(6) to reach the second round and will now face Sara Sorribes Tormo. Osaka can retain her number one spot by reaching the semi-finals this week.
While Kerber convincingly beat Lesia Tsurenko 6-3 6-2 despite losing her serves a couple of time throughout the second set.
Svitolina Struggles as Muguruza Rues Missed Chances
Elina Svitolina continued to struggle with her knee issues after losing 6-4 7-6(6) to Pauline Parmentier in the first round.
It was an aggressive match from Parmentier as for a set and a half the Ukrainian struggled to play with her ongoing knee issues.
Despite some good fighting spirit Svitolina couldn’t force a decider a s Parmentier won against a top 10 opponent. The world number six now has a Rome title to defend next week.
There was also an early exit for Garbine Muguruza as she failed to take a combined five set points in the two starts as she was outsmarted by a crafty Petra Martic.
A 7-5 7-6(2) win for the Istanbul champion means that she faces Angelique Kerber in the second round on Tuesday.
