Simona Halep crushes Makarova in Madrid Open 1st round

Simona Halep

Romanian tennis player Simona Halep, World No.1, on Sunday started her run to defend the Madrid Open title by crushing Russia's Ekaterina Makarova 6-1, 6-0. Halep, who is seeking her third Madrid title in a row, needed only 51 minutes to beat Makarova, World No.32, reports Efe.

"I think it was a great match. I played really well. Of course, maybe she didn't play her best, but she's always tough to play against. It was a good match and a good start," the WTA website cited Halep as saying after the match.

The top-seeded player earned her fifth win over Makarova in their seventh encounter on the court. Halep, 26, is to take on the winner of an all-Belgian first round clash pitting Alison Van Uytvanck against Elise Mertens.

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