Serena Williams set up a mouth-watering French Open showdown against bitter rival Maria Sharapova as the two returning superstars won their third round matches with ease on Saturday in Paris.
Three-time champion Williams made a mockery of her 451 world ranking to reach the last-16 with a ruthless 6-3, 6-4 romp past German 11th seed Julia Goerges.
Sharapova, the 2012 and 2014 winner in Paris, was equally impressive, seeing off Czech sixth seed Karolina Pliskova 6-2, 6-1.
Sharapova and Williams have met 21 times, with the American leading the head-to-head record 19-2 after 18 consecutive wins.
The Russian has not beaten her nemesis since 2004 – before even the birth of Twitter and YouTube.
Williams, the champion in 2002, 2013 and 2015 and playing her first Slam since giving birth to her daughter in September, last played a major at the Australian Open in 2017 while two months pregnant.
Playing again in her striking all-black catsuit, the 36-year-old fired 20 winners past Goerges while committing just 12 unforced errors, three of which were in the first set.
“I think there is a lot of things in her game that she’s done much better than I have... Numbers don’t lie,” admitted Sharapova of facing her fellow former world number one.
Their most recent clash was at the 2016 Australian Open – it was also to be Sharapova’s last match before serving a 15-month doping ban.
Five-time Grand Slam champion Sharapova hadn’t played on Court Philippe Chatrier since a quarter-final exit in 2015.
However, she made up for lost time by firing 18 winners past an under-cooked Pliskova in just under an hour.
Top seed Simona Halep eased to a 7-5, 6-0 victory over German Andrea Petkovic to reach the French Open fourth round as well.
Petkovic struggled with a right knee injury in the second set as Romanian Halep moved into the second week at Roland Garros for the fourth time.
The 26-year-old world number one, runner-up in Paris in 2014 and 2017, is still looking for her first Grand Slam title.
Halep, who had been shunted out to Court 18 for the match with Petkovic, will face Australian Open semi-finalist Elise Mertens next after the Belgian 16th seed beat Daria Gavrilova.
Muguruza eases through
Spanish third seed Muguruza, the 2016 winner in Paris and the reigning Wimbledon champion, fired 15 winners past Stosur, the 34-year-old 2010 runner-up and former US Open champion.
The Spaniard goes on to face Lesia Tsurenko of Ukraine who knocked out Slovakian 19th seed Magdalena Rybarikova 6-2, 6-4.
Estonian 25th seed Anett Kontaveit made the last 16 for the first time by downing Czech eighth seed Petra Kvitova who saw her 13-match win streak end in a horror show of 57 unforced errors.
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.
“I knew this would be very tough against a former US Open winner and a player who has made the final here,” said 24-year-old Muguruza.
“If I didn’t play my best tennis, I realised that it would be very hard.”
Former world No 1 Angelique Kerber avenged her 2016 defeat by defeating Kiki Bertens in a hard-fought game, winning 7-6 (4), 7-6 (4).
Results - Women’s third round
Simona Halep (ROU x1) bt Andrea Petkovic (GER) 7-5, 6-0
Elise Mertens (BEL x16) bt Daria Gavrilova (AUS x24) 6-3, 6-1
Angelique Kerber (GER x12) bt Kiki Bertens (NED x18) 7-6 (7/4), 7-6 (7/4)
Caroline Garcia (FRA x7) bt Irina Begu (ROU) 6-1, 6-3
Garbine Muguruza (ESP x3) bt Sam Stosur (AUS) 6-0, 6-2
Lesia Tsurenko (UKR) bt Magdalena Rybarikova (SVK x19) 6-2, 6-4
Serena Williams (USA) bt Julia Görges (GER x11) 6-3, 6-4
Maria Sharapova (RUS x28) bt Karolina Pliskova (CZE x6) 6-2, 6-1
Anett Kontaveit (EST x25) bt Petra Kvitova (CZE x8) 7-6 (8/6), 7-6 (7/4)
Sloane Stephens (USA x10) bt Camila Giorgi (ITA) 4-6, 6-1, 8-6
Women’s round of 16 lineup:
Simona Halep (ROM x1) v Elise Mertens (BEL x16)
Angelique Kerber (GER x12) v Caroline Garcia (FRA x7)
Garbine Muguruza (ESP x3) v Lesia Tsurenko (UKR)
Serena Williams (USA) v Maria Sharapova (RUS x28)
Barbora Strycova (CZE x26) v Yulia Putintseva (KAZ)
Madison Keys (USA x13) v Mihaela Buzarnescu (ROU x31)
Anett Kontaveit (EST x25) v Sloane Stephens (USA x10)
Daria Kasatkina (RUS x14) v Caroline Wozniacki (DEN x2)
With AFP inputs
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