Two-time champion Maria Sharapova edged closer to a possible French Open last-16 duel with old rival Serena Williams today as top seed Simona Halep and 2016 winner Garbine Muguruza breezed into the third round.
Sharapova, the 2012 and 2014 champion in Paris, needed five match points to see off Croatia's Donna Vekic 7-5, 6-4 in a tie which featured 10 breaks of serve.
Former world number one Sharapova, seeded 28 this year, will face Czech sixth seed Karolina Pliskova for a place in the fourth round.
"She's playing great," Sharapova told Eurosport Russia of Pliskova, a player she defeated in their only previous meeting in the 2015 Fed Cup final.
"She won a big title in Stuttgart, so I have to be ready to this match and I'll be ready."
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