Halep overcomes another wobble

PARIS: Simona Halep’s focus was still not as sharp as she would have liked but that did not prevent the Romanian top seed from blazing past American Taylor Townsend 6-3, 6-1 in the French Open second round on Thursday.

A day after losing the first five games of her first-round match, Halep squandered a 5-1 lead as Townsend came from 0-40 down to save three set points with two unreturnable serves and a bludgeoning backhand volley winner.

After bagging that game with an ace, the 72nd-ranked American wildcard saved another set point in the next game before breaking the twice French Open finalist, who slapped a backhand into the net.

No doubt frustrated at her inability to close out the set, Halep started grunting every time she struck the ball and that change of tack appeared to produce the desired result as she broke to win the set on her fifth set point when she ended a 16-stroke rally with a sizzling forehand winner.

Townsend had lost all five previous matches against top-10 opponents and once Halep broke to take a 3-1 lead in the second set, that losing streak was doomed to continue.

ERRATIC SHARAPOVA IN THIRD ROUND

Maria Sharapova huffed and puffed her way into the hird round with a 7-5, 6-4 victory over Croatia’s Donna Vekic. The former world No 1, back at Roland Garros after a two-year absence, was erratic throughout but her iron willpower helped her set up a meeting with sixth seed Karolina Pliskova.

Sharapova, who missed the 2016 tournament because of a doping ban and was denied an invitation last year on her return from suspension, will need to be more consistent if she is to beat the Czech, a semifinalist here last year.

She failed to finish off a point at the net and Vekic counter-attacked to set up a break point in the first set, which the 28thseeded Russian saved to move 4-3 up before breaking her opponent’s serve.