French Open 2018: Caroline Wozniacki's Upset Highlights Monday's Early Results
Second seed Caroline Wozniacki was dumped out of the 2018 French Open on Monday by Daria Kasatkina, as world No. 1 Simona Halep cruised into the quarter-finals.
Halep, the top seed at Roland Garros, was too good for Elise Mertens in their Round 4 showdown, winning 6-2, 6-1 on the day. Wozniacki, meanwhile, was nowhere near her best, as Kasatkina was a 7-6 (5), 6-3 winner in their delayed match.
Later in the day there was huge disappointment for fans, as Serena Williams pulled out of her match against Maria Sharapova.
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In the men's draw Diego Schwartzman produced a stunning comeback to beat Kevin Anderson, while Rafael Nadal marched on with a straight sets win over Max Marterer.
Here are the early results from Monday at the French Open and a look back at some of the day's sparkling action.
Selected Monday Results
Women's Singles
(1) Simona Halep bt. (16) Elise Mertens, 6-2 6-1
(14) Daria Kasatkina bt. (2) Caroline Wozniacki, 7-6 (5) 6-3
Men's Singles
(1) Rafael Nadal bt. Max Marterer, 6-3 6-2 7-6 (4)
(11) Diego Schwartzman bt. (6) Kevin Anderson, 1-6 2-6 7-5 7-6 (0) 6-2
For the results in full visit the French Open website.
Halep on Fire, Wozniacki Bows Out
After coming up short in the final here 12 months ago and in the Australian Open earlier this year, Halep appears determined to finally get over the line in a Grand Slam.
The Romanian's tournament got off to a shaky start after losing the first set against Alison Riske. However, since then she's been flawless, winning every set in relatively comfortable fashion.
Halep was outstanding against Mertens as she smothered her opponent from the off.
Christopher Clarey of the New York Times feels as though the top seed has been a little overlooked so far:
The draw does appear to be opening up for her, too, as Wozniacki's charge was ended by Kasatkina.
This match was delayed overnight with the Russian a set up and the second set evenly poised at 3-3. Despite the break, Kasatkina was in charge when the action restarted and a break allowed her to clinch the second set.
As noted by the WTA Insider Twitter account, the 14th seed has an excellent record against Wozniacki, who is still yet to get beyond the quarter-finals at Roland Garros:
On the men's side of the draw the star of the day was Schwartzman, as he conjured an incredible comeback to get the better of Anderson.
Having fell two sets down the 11th seed appeared to be on the brink of defeat, with Anderson serving for the match in the third.
But the Argentinian dug deep, breaking when it mattered, winning the third set and building momentum throughout the rest of the match to complete the turnaround. As noted by Ben Rothenberg of the New York Times, it was a tremendous clash of styles:
Schwartzman was exhausted and relieved at the end of this showdown:
Unfortunately for the Argentinian he's not got a straightforward assignment in the next round, as he'll take on an in-form Nadal.
Once again the Spaniard, who is on the hunt for an 11th title at Roland Garros, was outstanding in his win over Marterer, getting the job done in straight sets. At this juncture it's tough to see anyone halting Nadal in the men's draw.
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