Halep hammers hapless Spaniard in French rout

PARIS — Simona Halep established her credentials to become the newest French Open champion with a blistering 6-1, 6-1 victory over Carla Suarez-Navarro to reach the quarter-finals on Monday.

With no former champions left in the field, pregnant Serena Williams watching from the sidelines and Maria Sharapova not invited to compete, third seed Halep has a golden opportunity to break into the Grand Slam winners’ circle.

Monday’s evidence suggested the Romanian may be ready for it.

“I was expecting a tough game against a very good claycourt player,” Halep said. “But I managed to push her back.

“I played a good game.”

There could be no arguments from any observers or from Suarez Navarro who appeared stunned at the outcome.

Before this clash there had been little to suggest it would be so one-sided. Halep led their head-to-head record, but only by 6-5.

Ss soon as the match began, however, its complexion became quickly apparent. Halep settled faster and raced into a 5-0 lead before Suarez Navarro could register on the scoreboard.

The Spaniard finally held her serve for 5-1 when Halep made a rare forehand error to end a 15-stroke rally, but the Romanian put that blip behind her to seal the set with a backhand pass a game later.

There are few players who strike the ball more crisply that Suarez Navarro, especially on the backhand side where she usually unfurls a big top-spin shot.

But whether it was the swirling wind which snapped the flags lining the roof of the showcourt, or Halep’s varied pace, the Spaniard repeatedly struggled to find her range.

The one high point for Suarez Navarro was when she broke back for 1-1 in the second set, but it was all downhill from there.

Her timing had gone, then her footwork. At one point she was forced to lunge forward to strike a backhand and accordingly popped it into the net, her foot positioning all wrong.

Halep was toying with her now, switching things up, throwing in drop-shots followed by lobs. Suarez Navarro scampered around court to no effect, while many in the crowd shifted uncomfortably in their seats.

On the stroke of the hour Suarez Navarro was put out of her misery, having made 41 errors. 

As the two kissed at the net, Halep kindly patted her opponent on the back, and the Spaniard could hardly wait to get out of there.

The 21st seed gathered her racket bag and, after a quick wave to the crowd, left the arena while Halep took the plaudits and plotted her course. 

Next she will meet either Croatian qualifier Petra Martic or fifth-seeded Ukrainian Elina Svitolina.

World No. 1 Andy Murray made short work of unseeded Russian Karen Khachanov to reach the quarter-finals with a clean-as-you-like 6-3, 6-4, 6-4 victory.

Murray largely dispensed with the chuntering and lapses that accompanied his first two matches as he maintained the momentum established in beating Juan Martin del Potro with an assured display on Court Philippe Chatrier.

The 30-year-old Briton made only one unforced error in pocketing the opening set and although he did drop serve late in the second he broke back immediately to take complete control of his first meeting with the talented Russian.

The powerful 21-year-old Khachanov, playing in his third Grand Slam event, showed flashes of brilliance in the sunshine but not for long enough spells to worry Murray who is through to the quarter-finals for the seventh time.

Murray broke in the ninth game of the third set, having just dropped his own with a rare baseline error, and wrapped up his 650th Tour-level win when Khachanov sprayed a forehand wide.

He will face either eighth seed Kei Nishikori of Japan or Spain’s Fernando Verdasco in the last eight.