Muguruza routs Sharapova, Halep overpowers Kerber
The Court Philippe Chatrier crowd got a match, if not a contest, as Muguruza roared to a 6-2, 6-1 victory
PARIS: Spain’s Garbine Muguruza thrashed Maria Sharapova to reach the French Open semifinals on Wednesday as a muchanticipated second top-of-the-bill showdown in three days failed to materialse at Roland Garros.
Sharapova’s eagerly-awaited fourth-round clash with Serena Williams never even made it on court on Monday as her American nemesis pulled out an hour before the scheduled start with an injury.
This time the Court Philippe Chatrier crowd - at least the ones that could be prised away from their luncheon - got a match, if not a contest, as Muguruza roared to a 6-2, 6-1 victory.
Sharapova, back at the claycourt Slam for the first time since 2015 following a doping-ban, walked on court with two French Open crowns to Muguruza’s one and a 3-0 head-to-head record against the reigning Wimbledon champion.
An hour and 10 minutes later the 31-year-old was walking off after her worst French Open spanking since she managed only two games against Dominika Cibulkova at the same stage in 2009.
The signs were ominous when the five-time Grand Slam champion coughed up three nervy doublefaults in the opening game. Muguruza sensed weakness and pounced for a 4-0 lead. Sharapova did finally settle, holding serve to love, but Muguruza clumped down an ace to make it 5-1. The former world No. 1 drilled a backhand winner down the line to hold again in the next game, the 28th seed clenching her fist as she walked to the chair.
But Muguruza was relentless and brought up two set points with a scorching backhand winner before sealing the opening set with a clubbing forehand that Sharapova fended into the net.
The only hope for the Russian was that her 2014 French Open quarter-final defeat of Muguruza, when she also got steamrollered in the first set before coming back, might play on her opponent’s mind.
Service breaks were exchanged at the start of the second set but Muguruza is a far steelier player than four years ago and Sharapova did not get a sniff in the next five games as the Spaniard reached her fourth Grand Slam semifinal.
An anti-climactic match ended predictably, with a Sharapova backhand nestling in the net - her 27th unforced error.
Muguruza, winner two years ago, will face world No. 1 Simona Halep in the semifinals.
Halep fought back to triumph in a bruising quarterfinal battle against Germany’s Angelique Kerber to stand two wins away from her first Grand Slam title.
The Romanian, who lost in last year’s final at Roland Garros, defeated Kerber 6-7 (2), 6-3, 6-2 to book a place against Garbine Muguruza in the semifinals. World No. 1 Halep made a slow start, misfiring on her first serve and spraying her groundshots wide early on in a duel that lasted more than two hours, before steadily breaking down her opponent.
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