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Simona Halep and defending ladies’s champion Karolina Pliskova each eased into the quarter-finals of the Italian Open on Friday. Top seed Halep rallied from 3-Zero down within the first set to see off Ukraine’s Dayana Yastremska in a 7-5, 6-Four victory that took one hour and 28 minutes. “Big picture, I think it was a great match and gives me confidence that even in these conditions with a big hitter that I could win in two sets,” stated Halep. The two-time Rome finalist subsequent meets Yulia Putintseva, who battled again from 6-4, 5-2 right down to see off fellow Kazakh Elena Rybakina, the 10th seed, 4-6, 7-6 (7/3), 6-2.
“I expect a tough battle but I feel fit,” stated former French Open champion Halep, a runner-up in Rome in 2017 and 2018.
“I feel good with my body. I’m ready to face her and tomorrow, hopefully, I will play better than today.”
Halep is warming up on clay for the French Open, a match she received in 2018, after skipping the US tour due to coronavirus fears.
Her final win was in Prague a month in the past.
World quantity 4 Pliskova dominated 65th-ranked Anna Blinkova 6-4, 6-Three of their third spherical match.
The second-seed Czech, who defended her Brisbane title in January, bought off to a stumbling begin with two double faults within the opening sport permitting Blinkova to interrupt.
But the 22-year-old Russian was unable to construct on her benefit towards the previous world primary, who subsequent meets 11th seed Elise Mertens after she bought previous Danta Kovinic 6-4, 6-4.
Ninth seed Garbine Muguruza superior to her sixth quarter-final this 12 months with a straight-sets win over final 12 months’s Rome finalist Johanna Konta.
Both gamers hit 15 winners every however Briton Konta paid for 22 unforced errors to the Spaniard’s 13.
Promoted
Muguruza prevailed 6-4, 6-1 towards seventh-seeded Konta to achieve the final eight in Rome for the third time.
The former French Open winner will subsequent face US Open finalist Victoria Azarenka who superior after Russian Daria Kasatkina retired injured of their first set tiebreak.
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