As the middle weekend approaches and players look to survive and advance into the second week, they received a break in the weather at Melbourne Park on Friday. Temperatures were milder as competitors looked to break into the final 16.

Halep holds off late charge, advances

In Friday action, Simona Halep took to Margaret Court Arena to face veteran Bethanie Mattek-Sands of the United States. Coming into the match, Halep had advanced through the draw with little fanfare. The Romanian had not dropped a set entering her third-round match. This remained intact, but a match that appeared well in hand became interesting late in Halep’s 6-4 7-5 victory.

Halep applied pressure on the American early in the first set, but Mattek-Sands fought off break points to remain on serve. However, later in the set, errors began to pile up and the third seed took advantage, breaking serve. Continuing to pressure her opponent, Halep closed out the first set.

In the second set, it appeared that Halep would effortlessly move into the round of 16. However, a 5-2 lead slipped away as Mattek-Sands showed a strong will and closed the gap. The American had opportunities to even the match, but it was Halep holding off the charge and finally closing out the set and match. The Romanian struggled with her service, placing just 42 percent of her first serves in play and tossing in five double faults as well.

Nonetheless, she will advance to face Yanina Wickmayer, who upset 14th seed Sara Errani earlier in the day.

Bouchard cruises

Eugenie Bouchard, the seventh seed, met the big-hitting Caroline Garcia of France in Rod Laver Arena and after a tough first set, settled in for a 7-5 6-0 win.

In the first set, both players struggled holding serve. But in typical Bouchard fashion, the Canadian’s dangerous return game paid dividends, helping her overcome service woes of her own. She broke Garcia’s serve four times (one more than she yielded) and took the set.

The flood gates opened in favor of Bouchard in the second. In a set that took just 28 minutes, she rolled into the round of 16. Bouchard broke Garcia’s serve seven times in the match. The 20-year-old was happy to advance, although she acknowledged that perhaps it wasn’t her best outing. “I don't think it was the prettiest tennis out there today,” she said.

It was just a year ago in Melbourne when Bouchard served notice that she would become one of the world’s best. She advanced to the semifinals in 2014. What followed was a season in which she would add a final appearance at Wimbledon and a semifinal run at the French Open.

Makarova quietly dominates Pliskova

Meanwhile, 10th-seeded Ekaterina Makarova continued to fly under the radar, defeating the dangerous Karolina Pliskova 6-4 6-4. Pliskova has given every indication that she will make a big splash on tour this season, but she was not a match for the powerful left-hander on Friday.

Makarova served big in the match, winning 81 percent of her first-serve points. Her aggressive and strong groundstrokes kept the Czech off balance, while she benefited from 28 unforced errors. The Russian found success on return, breaking serve three times in the match. That proved to be enough to earn the straight-sets victory.

The 26-year-old became the first woman into the round of 16 and will next face off with unseeded Julia Goerges of Germany, who won a tightly contested victory against Lucie Hradecka.

Peng advances into the round of 16

The “steady as she goes” Shuai Peng battled a tough Yaroslava Shvedova but advanced in straight sets, 7-6 6-3. Much as she did in last season’s U. S. Open, Peng was consistent enough with her groundstrokes and was able to handle the pressure of Shvedova.

Born in Moscow but now residing in Kazakhstan, Shvedova was the aggressor through much of the match. Attacking Peng at the net and with big groundstrokes, particularly from her forehand side, she attempted to dictate play and keep Peng on the defensive. But steady play from the China native contrasted with Shvedova’s 43 unforced errors, which were too many for her to overcome.

Peng has shown her efficiency in hard-court majors. A quick rewind to last September in Flushing Meadows is a reminder. There, a possible run to the final was cut short when severe cramps forced her out of a semifinal match with Caroline Wozniacki. She will hope for a happier ending to her tournament this year despite the pervasive Melbourne heat.