SHARAPOVA ENTERS PRE-QUARTERFINALS
Sharapova dominates Pliskova; Rafa beats Gasquet for 16th time
Paris, June 2: Maria Sharapova marked her first appearance on Court Philippe Chatrier in three years with a 6-2, 6-1 rout of Karolina Pliskova to set-up a potential French Open Last-16 duel with nemesis Serena Williams on Saturday, while 10-time champion Rafael Nadal defeated childhood friend Richard Gasquet for the 16th time.
The 31-year-old served a doping suspension in 2016 and was refused a wildcard in 2017.
However, she made up for lost time by firing 18 winners past an undercooked Pliskova, the sixth seed, in just under an hour.
She will next face either 23-time Grand Slam champion Serena or German 11th seed Julia Goerges.
The 36-year-old Serena, now ranked at 451 in the world, boasts a 2-0 career lead over Georges.
It may not be easy on the eye with Serena’s renowned power-hitting up against the 29-year-old German who leads the aces count on the WTA Tour in 2018 with 212.
Nadal continued his bid for an 11th French Open title by brushing aside Gasquet to claim a 16th consecutive win over his childhood friend.
The world number one’s record at Roland Garros now stands at 82 wins and just two losses.
The 16-time Grand Slam champion eased to a 6-3, 6-2, 6-2 victory on Chatrier.
The 31-year-old also took his run of consecutive completed sets at the French Open to 34, just seven shy of the record held by Bjorn Borg between 1979 and 1981.
Nadal, who lost only two points in the first five games, will next play Germany's world number 70 Maximilian Marterer, who beat Estonian lucky loser Jurgen Zopp.
Former champion Garbine Muguruza reached the Last 16 for the fifth successive year with a comfortable 6-0, 6-2 win over Australia’s Sam Stosur.
Spanish third seed Muguruza, the 2016 winner in Paris and the reigning Wimbledon champion, fired 15 winners past Stosur, the 34year-old 2010 runner-up and former US Open champion.
Anett Kontaveit made the Last 16 for the first time by downing Petra Kvitova. Kontaveit next faces US Open champion Sloane Stephens, the American 10th seed, who saw off Italy’s Camila Giorgi 4-6, 6-1, 8-6.
— AFP