Top seed Simona Halep reached the French Open third round on Thursday with a 6-3, 6-1 win over Taylor Townsend of the United States while Serena Williams was made to work hard for her win against 17th seed Ash Barty.
Halep, twice a runner-up in Paris, will face Germany’s Andrea Petkovic for a place in the last 16. Petkovic was a semi-finalist in 2014 and was once ranked in the top 10 but has slipped to 107 after an injury blighted few seasons.
Serena battled back from a set and break down to defeat Australia’s Barty 3-6, 6-3, 6-4 to reach the third round on her comeback.
The three-time champion and former world number one, dressed again in her all-black catsuit, is playing her first Slam since winning the 2017 Australian Open while two months pregnant.
The 36-year-old, seeking a 24th Grand Slam title, will face either Julia Goerges in the next round for a place in the last 16 after the German defeated Alison Van Uytvanck of Belgium.
Two-time champion Maria Sharapova edged closer to a possible French Open last-16 duel with Serena by seeing off Croatia’s Donna Vekic 7-5, 6-4 in the second round.
Former world number one Sharapova, seeded 28 this year, will face Czech sixth seed Karolina Pliskova for a place in the fourth round.
Old rival Serena could be a possible opponent but the three-time champion still has her second round to play Thursday against Australia’s Ashleigh Barty.
Sharapova, the champion in Paris in 2012 and 2014, is playing Roland Garros for the first time since 2015. The 31-year-old was serving a doping ban in 2015 and was refused a wildcard by Roland Garros organisers last year.
Spanish third seed Garbine Muguruza, the 2016 champion, was too strong for France’s number 257 Fiona Ferro 6-4, 6-3.
“She was unknown to me. It’s always tricky when you face a French, a young, talented player,” said Wimbledon champion Muguruza.
Meanwhile, Australian 24th seed Daria Gavrilova came back from a set and 5-2 down, saving a match point in the process, to defeat America’s Bernarda Pera 5-7, 7-5, 6-3.
Results
Simona Halep (ROU x1) bt Taylor Townsend (USA) 6-3, 6-1
Serena Williams (USA) bt Ash Barty (AUS x17) 3-6, 6-3, 6-4
Andrea Petkovic (GER) bt Bethanie Mattek-Sands (USA) 6-0, 7-6 (7/5)
Daria Gavrilova (AUS x24) bt Bernarda Pera (USA) 5-7, 7-5, 6-3
Elise Mertens (BEL x16) bt Heather Watson (GBR) 6-3, 6-4
Angelique Kerber (GER x12) bt Ana Bogdan (ROM) 6-2, 6-3
Kiki Bertens (NED x18) bt Aliaksandra Sasnovich (BLR) 6-4, 6-2
Caroline Garcia (FRA x7) bt Peng Shuai (CHN) 6-4, 3-6, 6-3
Garbine Muguruza (ESP x3) bt Fiona Ferro (FRA) 6-4, 6-3
Samantha Stosur (AUS) bt Anastasia Pavlyuchenkova (RUS x30) 6-2, 7-6 (7/1)
Magdalena Rybarikova (SVK x19) bt Belinda Bencic (SUI) 6-2, 6-4
Lesya Tsurenko (UKR) bt Coco Vandeweghe (USA x15) 3-6, 6-4, 6-0
Maria Sharapova (RUS x28) bt Donna Vekic (CRO) 7-5, 6-4
Karolína Plíšková (CZE x6) bt Lucie Safarova (CZE) 3-6, 6-4, 6-1
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