CHINESE tennis player Wang Qiang posted her personal best record at Grand Slam tournaments as she reached the last 32 at the 2018 French Open on Wednesday.

Wang only conceded two games to ease past Croatia’s Petra Martic 6-1, 6-1 in their second round duel.

Wang bettered in first serve and points won through first and second serves, while suffering six less unforced errors than her opponent.

Wang, boosted by her victory over American great Venus Williams in the previous round, finished astutely and confused Martic with her various hitting lines, taking away the first set 6-1.

“I had expected it (to set a new personal best record) after winning my first match here.

“My coach told me that if I maintained my momentum of overcoming Williams, I would win today,” said the 85th-ranked Wang.

Wang never slowed down in her attack, and too many unforced errors had already decided Martic’s fate in the match. She furiously threw her racquet onto the pitch in the third game of the second set, but that proved to be of little help in front of unstoppable Wang, who took on another 6-1 to set her position in last 32.

“I didn’t play her before, so I needed to do what I should do and play more aggressively,” commented Wang.

Wang recorded a below-par clay season this year before making the quarterfinals in Strasbourg, the final warm-up tournament ahead of Roland Garros.

Wang thought that she just needed to focus on herself without thinking further about possible fixtures ahead.

“I didn’t think that I could beat Williams after the draw. I will try to play well in every match,” she pointed out.

Wang’s best record at Grand Slam tournaments before Wednesday was the second round, where she has made it several times since 2014.

She will meet Yulia Putintseva of Kazakhstan in the third round.

Meanwhile, Novak Djokovic battled through to the third round Wednesday, overcoming a determined Jaume Munar 7-6 (1), 6-4, 6-4.

There was little to choose between the two players at times, with the 21-year-old Spaniard performing at a high level for much of the contest.

In the end, Djokovic was able to find something extra in crucial moments, especially late in each stanza.

The 12-time Grand Slam champion, who is seeded 20th for this tournament, will now face a tricky clash with 13th seed Roberto Bautista Agut for a spot in the fourth round. Agut overcame Santiago Giraldo on Wednesday 6-4, 7-5, 6-3.

Both of Djokovic’s matches so far have been against qualifiers; neither win was particularly impressive.

“At the moment, I’m not playing at the level I wish to, but at the same time, I understand that it is the process that obviously takes time,” said Djokovic, whose seeding of No. 20 is his lowest at a Slam in 12 years.

(SD-Agencies)