Halep crushes Makarova in Madrid Open 1st round

Madrid May 6 (IANS) 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.

--IANS
gau/bg