Third seed Simona Halep knocked out of French Open

Paris: Romanian Simona Halep, last year`s runner-up, was knocked out in the second round of the French Open 7-5 6-1 by Croatian Mirjana Lucic-Baroni on Wednesday.

The third seed crumbled after losing the first set, managing a mere five winners in the match against the world number 70.

Halep, who usually toys with her opponents, offering a mix of pace and accuracy, was the victim this time as she never found her stride on court Suzanne Lenglen.

Lucic-Baroni, who next plays French 29th seed Alize Cornet, ended Halep`s resistance with an ace.