体坛英语新闻：Rain postpones men's quarters, Halep to meet Muguruza in semi at Roland Garros

PARIS, June 6 (Xinhua) -- Two of men's singles quarterfinals had to be postponed until Thursday by rain, while Simona Halep and Garbine Muguruza set up their women's singles semifinal clash at the 2018 French Open on Wednesday.

Up against 10-time champion Rafael Nadal, Diego Schwartzman built on his momentum following a thrilling five-set victory over No. 6 seed Kevin Anderson to take away the opening set 6-4.

The Argentine's solid baseline and powerful forehand posed great threat to the "King of Clay", and he took an upper hand of 3-2 in the second set.

The match was spoiled by rain midway through the second set, before Nadal won three games in a row back on court to lead 5-3.

The match was interrupted again, when Nadal led 30-15 in the ninth game.

The duel between No. 3 seed Marin Cilic and fifth-seeded Juan Martin Del Potro was also postponed, when the two players tied at five-all in a tiebreak of the first set.

Top seed Halep, in chase of her maiden Grand Slam title, came back from one set down to see off Germany's Angelique Kerber 6-7 (2), 6-3, 6-2.

Kerber, who had already matched her best record in Paris with quarterfinal appearance, heated up quicker with four straight games in hand.

Although Halep forced a tiebreak, she let the first set slip away after losing the tiebreak 7-2.

Halep then regrouped herself to triumph in the second set 6-3.

Kerber called for a medical treatment due to foot blister three games into the third set, before she conceded a break, and never appeared to threaten Halep's position.

"It was a tough start. I wanted to do too much in the match. It was tough because her ball is very low, and you don't have many chances to finish the points from there.

"Actually, I want to forget those games," Halep said with a smile. "It was not exactly what I wanted to play at the beginning, but I just didn't feel it. Then I changed it and it was much better."

Muguruza conceded just three games to race past Russia's Maria Sharapova 6-2, 6-1 in 70 minutes, remaining as the only player in women's draw that has never dropped a set.

Two-time winner Sharapova, who made her return to Roland Garros after three years, failed to challenge the Spaniard throughout the match, and she easily conceded their first duel in four years.

"Being aggressive is a part of my game. When you're facing somebody that also has an aggressive style of game, it's about who takes the command, who takes the first opportunity," said Muguruza.

"I just didn't feel free, and I felt there was a lot of force behind all the shots and that it wasn't coming natural to me. I didn't have the rhythm," Sharapova pointed out.

Chinese youngsters fared in two directions in junior division, as eighth-seeded Wang Xiyu powered past Maria Lourdes Carle of Argentina in straight sets, while No. 2 seed Wang Xinyu and Zheng Qinwen both crashed out from girls' singles third round.

Madison Keys and Sloane Stephens will put on an all-American women's singles semifinal on Thursday.