Garbine Muguruza lost just three games in a thrilling performance over Maria Sharapova to reach the semi-finals at Roland-Garros with a 6-2, 6-1 victory.
The 2016 champion took the initiative on every point, hitting the ball early to prevent Sharapova from settling into a rhythm, punishing her second serve and taking her wide on the forehand as she raced into a 4-0 lead before the Russian could get on the board.
Muguruza, who had never beaten Sharapova coming into the match, did not even concede a break point in the first set to take it 6-2. In the second set, the pair traded breaks but after that, the Spaniard completely crushed her opponent. She did not trail in any of the following games to seal the second 6-1.
World No 3 Muguruza will face the No 1 seed Simona Halep for a place in the final.
Halep reached the semi-finals after coming from a set behind to beat Angelique Kerber 6-7 (2), 6-3, 6-2. The start of the match did not go as planned for Halep, who racked up more than a dozen errors to see her trail 4-0. She finally reduced her errors by holding to love to win her first game.
She also won the next two to bring the score back to 3-4. It still looked like Kerber would ease to take the first set, but while serving at 5-4, Halep broke to even things out and it went to a tie-break. In the decider, the German played out of her skin, allowing Halep only two points to take it 7-2.
However, Halep showed exactly why she is the top-ranked female by breaking in the very first game of the second set and holding on for a 2-0 lead. The rest of the set went according to serve until she had to save a break point in the eighth. But in the next game, she broke Kerber for the second time to take the second 6-2 and force the match to a deciding third set.
Halep started the third with another 2-0 lead after breaking in the second and although Kerber broke right back, she surrendered it in the following game. The Romanian then held serve to take a 4-1 lead. Both women held serve until the eighth when Halep broke again to take the set 6-2 and set up a very exciting tie against Muguruza for a place in the final.
Photo: Rolandgarros.com
