Caroline Wozniacki, Simona Halep cruise into Qatar Total Open last 16

Doha: World No.1 Caroline Wozniacki and second-ranked Simona Halep swept their opponents away to open their Qatar Total Open campaign in impressive fashion at the Khalifa International Tennis and Squash Complex in Doha on Wednesday.

While Wozniacki stormed past Germany’s Carina Witthoeft 6-2, 6-0 in 57 minutes, Halep took just an hour and 11 minutes to beat Russia’s Ekaterina Makarova 6-3, 6-0.

Reigning champion Karolina Pliskova also entered the pre-quarterfinal after a comfortable 6-2, 6-3 victory against Alize Cornet.

Halep was playing for the first time since the Australian Open final where she fought valiantly against Wozniacki despite suffering a foot injury only to lose finish second best and she said the pain in her foot has not completely gone.

“The foot is still painful. That's why I just tried to finish the points quick. But you know, I didn't want to think about it too much, and I think I played great tennis today. And everything was okay. Not perfect, but it was okay,” said the Romanian.

“I am happy that I could play what I had in my mind, to be aggressive, to try to finish the points, to make some winners, which I did, and in the end, the serve helped me a lot. At one point I just started to volley, and then I just shook my head and I said that I have to hit it, so I hit it and it helped me a lot,” said Halep, who will take on Latvia’s Anastasija Sevastova in the last 16.

Wozniacki, who was even more impressive in her demolition of Witthoeft, will take on Monica Niculescu after her rival Magdalena Rybarikova retired midway through their match. Rybarikova won the first set 7-6, but lost the second 2-6 and was trailing 0-3 in the third.

Johanna Konta also progressed, with an impressive 6-2, 6-2 victory against 2016 champion Carla Suarez Navarro of Spain. Germany’s Julia Gorges had to play three sets to defeat Barbora Strycova of Czech Republic.