In a tournament of upsets there was a return to normality. For Simona Halep, back on Centre Court for the first time since she won the title so brilliantly in 2019, her 6-1, 6-2 demolition of the No 4 seed, Paula Badosa, was a timely reminder of just how good she is. It puts her into the quarter-finals for the fifth time and makes her the one to beat again.
Halep hit 17 winners and only nine unforced errors in a near-perfect display, one that lasted only an hour and that sets up an intriguing encounter against the American Amanda Anisimova, who followed up her win over Coco Gauff by taking out Harmony Tan, the Frenchwoman who bamboozled Serena Williams in the first round. If the path to a third grand slam title is not exactly clear, Halep will go into her match with Anisimova as the tournament favourite.
