Halep subdues Petkovic after tight early tussle

PARIS (Reuters) - Top seed Simona Halep maintained her steady progress through the French Open draw when she beat Germany's Andrea Petkovic 7-5 6-0 to reach the fourth round on Saturday.

Relegated to the new Court 18 for the day, the Romanian had to battle for an hour to take the opening set but sped through the second with a minimum of fuss.

Petkovic, a semi-finalist in 2014 but now ranked 107, needed treatment on her right knee at the start of the second set and was no match for the twice runner-up.

Halep, cheered on by a noisy gaggle of Romanian fans, finished it off with a clinical backhand winner.

She will face 16th seed Elise Mertens in round four.

(Reporting by Martyn Herman; Editing by Clare Fallon)