Australia's Samantha Stosur has charged into the third round of the Madrid Open with a comfortable 6-3 7-5 win over Colombian world No.98 Mariana Duque-Marino.
Stosur, unbroken on serve throughout the match only faced two break points, while also converting both of hers to move into the final 16 of the tournament without dropping a set.
There she will face Romanian third seed Simona Halep, who Stosur leads 3-1 when it comes to their career meetings on clay, the last of which was in the fourth round at Roland Garros in 2016, when Stosur won 7-6 (7-0) 6-3.
Halep made it to the third round in less impressive fashion, coming back from the edge of defeat to beat Italian Roberta Vinci 6-3 2-6 7-6 (7-2).
"Her game is not easy to play. Her slices are very difficult to return," Halep, who trailed 5-2 in the final set, said.
"She was hitting pretty strong also with the forehand today, serve, everything. She played unbelievable.
"I was close to losing the match, but I stayed strong. I stayed focused. I didn't give up. That makes this match much more like bigger for me. It means a lot."
Halep said she is looking forward to taking on Stosur, who she beat in the Madrid semis last year.
"I know Sam pretty well - we played many times together," Halep said.
"It's going to be very difficult. Her topspin is not easy to return."
Joining Stosur in reaching the third round is American world No.20 Coco Vandeweghe, who took down Germany's Laura Siegemund 6-2 4-6 6-3.
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