The Latest: Kasatkina reaches French Open quarterfinals

The Associated Press
The Associated Press

PARIS (AP) — The Latest on the French Open (all times local):

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12:50 p.m.

Daria Kasatkina advanced to the French Open quarterfinals for the first time by beating Australian Open champion Caroline Wozniacki 7-6 (5), 6-3.

The 21-year-old Russian, whose previous best performance at a major was reaching the fourth round at last year’s U.S. Open, broke for a 5-3 lead and then served out the match that started Sunday but was suspended by darkness.

Kasatkina has beaten Wozniacki three times this year. She will next play 10th-seeded Sloane Stephens.

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12:15 p.m.

Top-seeded Simona Halep advanced to the French Open quarterfinals for the third time by beating Elise Mertens 6-2, 6-1.

Halep, who lost in last year’s final, broke the 16th-seeded Belgian’s serve six times on Court Philippe Chatrier.

Serving for the match, Halep dropped her serve for the first time. She broke straight back, winning on her first match point when Mertens double-faulted.

Halep, who also lost in the 2014 final, will next face either two-time Grand Slam champion Angelique Kerber or Caroline Garcia.

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11:30 a.m.

Play has begun at the French Open with top-seeded Simona Halep first up on a sunny Court Philippe Chatrier.

Halep, who lost in last year’s final, was playing 16th-seeded Elise Mertens.

Later, 23-time Grand Slam champion Serena Williams will face five-time major winner Maria Sharapova on the same court.

The two players are coming back from time away — Williams after having a baby daughter; Sharapova after a doping ban. It will be their 22nd head-to-head meeting. Williams has won 19 so far, including the past 18.

Their encounter follows 10-time French Open champion Rafael Nadal’s fourth-round match against Maximilian Marterer, a 22-year-old German ranked 70th.

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More AP tennis coverage: https://www.apnews.com/tag/apf-Tennis

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