Halep blitz turns tough

TITLE contender Simona Halep pulled through against Daria Kasatkina in a French Open tennis rollercoaster, winning 6-0, 7-5 after at threatening to dismantle the 20-year-old Russian.

The third-seeded Romanian – a beaten finalist in Paris in 2014 – is tipped as a title favourite after a stellar run on clay to this year’s event.

She romped through the first set of yesterday’s third round match in 30 minutes, with an ankle injury she sustained in mid-May giving her no more than a single twinge.

“I felt it a little bit at one backhand, because I turned too much ... but doesn’t bother me much, so I’m not thinking about it. I can run, I can slide,” Halep said.

Halep will play Spain’s Carla Suarez Navarro next.

There will also be at least one Frenchwoman in the final eight with 28th seed Caroline Garcia and Alize Cornet set to face off in the round of 16.

Garcia squeaked past unseeded Taiwanese player SuWei Hsieh 6-4, 4-6, 9-7 while Cornet upset Polish ninth seed Agnieszka Radwanska 6-2, 6-1.