By Richard Pagliaro | Friday, June 2, 2017
Garbiñe Muguruza arrived in Paris conceding she wasn’t sure how she’d respond to defending Roland Garros.
Muguruza has transformed week one of the French Open into a fact-finding mission.
Watch: CiCi Bellis Q & A
Deadlocked at 5-all in the first set, Muguruza burst through a five-game run powering past Yulia Putintseva, 7-5, 6 -2, into the French Open fourth round for the fourth straight year.
The reigning Roland Garros champion has won 18 of her last 20 Roland Garros matches.
Ravaging her opponent's second serve, Muguruza won 13 of 20 points played on Putintseva's second serve, converting seven of eight break points.
A bit sloppy at the start, Muguruza committed four unforced errors gifting the first break and a 3-1 lead to her 27th-seeded opponent.
An eager Putitnseva was fired up.
At that point, the fourth-seeded Spaniard cleaned up her act.
Stepping into her shots and blistering her backhand down the line at times, Muguruza embarked on a four-game spree opening a 5-3 lead.
The flat-hitting power baseliner served for the set at 5-4, but a crafty Putintseva broke back to level.
Crunching her groundstrokes with greater command, Muguruza breezed through five straight games to break open the match.
Firing her forehand crosscourt, Muguruza earned the double break for a 7-5, 3-0 lead.
A scrappy Putintseva began to mix up the height and angle of her shots more effectively. She broke then streamed through a love hold for 2-3.
That was the 5-foot-4 Putintseva's last stand.
Pounding through the final three games, Muguruza sealed her fourth-round spot bolting her second ace to close in one hour, 40 minutes.
The reigning champion will face 2016 Roland Garros doubles champion Kristina Mladenovic for a trip to her fourth quarterfinal.
Exhorted by French fans, the 13th-seeded Mladenovic fought back from 2-5 down in the decisive set outdueling 2016 quarterfinalist Shelby Rogers, 7-5, 4-6, 8-6. Mladenovic, who withstood 13 double faults in a gripping two hour, 46-minute victory, advanced to the Roland Garros fourth round for the first time in nine appearances.
No. 23-seeded Samantha Stosur converted seven of 11 break points sweeping former French Open doubles champion Bethanie Mattek-Sands, 6-2, 6-2.
The 2010 French Open finalist has not dropped a set in the tournament. Playing for a spot in her fifth Roland Garros quarterfinal, Stosur meets Jelena Ostapenko next.
The 19-year-old Latvian baseliner breezed by Lesia Tsurenko, 6-1, 6-4, in 65 minutes advancing to a Grand Slam fourth round for the first time in eight major appearances.