Madrid Open: Halep downs Gauff, will face Jabeur in quarters
Two-time winner, Simona Halep, outclassed Coco Gauff in straight sets in the Round of 16 of the 2022 Madrid Open. She beat the number 14 seed 6-4, 6-4. Halep will next face the number eight seed, Ons Jabeur, in the quarter-finals on Wednesday. Meanwhile, Amanda Anisimova and Ekaterina Alexandrova have progressed into the last eight as well. Here are more details.
Halep beat Gauff in straight sets for the second time in a WTA 1000 event this year. The former had earlier beaten Gauff in Round of 32 at the Indian Wells Masters. Jabeur thumped the number 11 seed, Belinda Bencic, 6-2, 3-6, 6-2. She pocketed a total of 94 points. As per WTA, it was Jabeur's first win in three career match-ups against Bencic.
Halep enjoys a 2-1 win record over Jabeur in the match-ups to date. That includes a 6-4, 6-3 win against the latter in the quarter-finals of the Dubai Tennis Championships earlier this year. All three encounters were on hard courts.
Russia's Ekaterina Alexandrova pummeled Marie Bouzkova in a hard-fought 6-7(4), 6-0, 7-5. Alexandrova doled out 44 winners. She won a total of 130 points, including 70 from serves. She will face Amanda Anisimova in the quarters. Anisimova beat the number 15 seed Victoria Azarenka 6-1, 6-4. She has a 1-0 lead over Alexandrova from her earlier win at Doha (2020).
Two-time Madrid Open champion, Andy Murray, was all over former world number three Dominic Thiem in the Round of 64. The Brit won in straight sets (6-3, 6-4). He handed out 33 unforced errors. As per ATP, it was Murray's first win on clay since the 2017 French Open quarters against Kei Nishikori. He had beaten the latter 2-6, 6-1, 7-6, 6-1.
Murray will be gearing up to face the number 14 seed, Denis Shapovalov, in the Round of 32 later this evening. Shapovalov had beaten Ugo Humbert 7-6(1), 6-3 in the Round of 64.
