Tennis: Halep marches to fourth round and tough date with Wickmayer

Simona Halep beat Bethanie Mattek-Sands. Photo / AP

Simona Halep advanced to the fourth round of the Australian Open in straight sets, but the third seed next faces an in-form bogeywoman.

Romanian Halep, Canada's seventh seed Eugenie Bouchard and Russian No 10 seed Ekaterina Makarova were among the women's winners in Melbourne yesterday.

Halep downed world No 258 Bethanie Mattek-Sands 6-4 7-5 on Margaret Court Arena and will battle Belgian Yanina Wickmayer for a quarter-final berth.

A former US Open semifinalist, Wickmayer claimed her second seeded scalp of the tournament yesterday, upsetting Italy's 14th seed Sara Errani 4-6 6-4 6-3 at Hisense Arena.

The world No 80, who has played three three-setters this week at Melbourne Park, accounted for 23rd seed Anastasia Pavlyuchenkova in the first round.

Wickmayer has won all three of their previous meetings between 2010 and 2012.

Bouchard defeated Frenchwoman Garcia 7-5 6-0 on Rod Laver Arena, dishing out a bagel in a second set that lasted only 28 minutes.

But Friday's encounter was far more stressful than that for Bouchard, who reached the semifinals last year in her maiden Australian Open campaign.

Bouchard was broken three times in the opening set.

The 20-year-old trailed 2-3 when she started to swing momentum in a marathon game that lasted 24 points and over 13 minutes.

Bouchard and Garcia battled to deuce nine times before the seventh seed eventually broke back.

"I don't think it was the prettiest tennis out there today," Bouchard said.

"I didn't get much rhythm ... I'm just happy I got through even if I wasn't playing my best."

Bouchard next meets Romanian Irina-Camelia Begu, who downed German Carina Witthoeft 6-4 6-4 yesterday.

Makarova was the first woman through to the fourth round, trumping in-form Czech Karolina Pliskova 6-4 6-4 in one hour and eight minutes.

Makarova, twice a quarter-finalist at the Australian Open, is well placed to reach the last eight again.

The 26-year-old's next assignment is German Julia Goerges, unseeded and ranked 73rd in the world.

Goerges downed world No 142 Lucie Hradecka 7-6 (8-6) 7-5 in an hour and 40 minutes.

Goerges and Makarova have never played each other on the WTA tour.

China's Peng Shuai was the other early women's winner yesterday, the 21st seed beating Kazakh Yaroslava Shvedova 7-6 (7-9) 6-3.

- AAP