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MADRID — Simona Halep has played some of her best tennis at the Madrid Open again and defeated home crowd favorite Paula Badosa in straight sets to reach the last 16 for the seventh time in 11 appearances. The two-time Madrid Open champion had 21 winners as she defeated No. 2-ranked Badosa 6-3, 6-1 on the Caja Mágica center court. Badosa converted only one of her seven break points against Halep. The Spaniard broke through on home soil last year with a run to the Madrid semifinals as a 62nd-ranked wild card. Halep won consecutive titles in Madrid in 2016 and 2017 and was runner-up in 2014 and 2019.
