Maria Sharapova and Andy Roddick pressed all the right buttons on Friday to motor into the Australian Open fourth round, but Lindsay Davenport again misfired before getting back on track.
The Russian world number four is coming good at the right time, seemingly untroubled by the blisters that hobbled her in the second round and the dislocated rib that threatened her participation in the tournament.
On another day of scorching temperatures that caused play on outside courts to be suspended through the tournament heat rule, the glamorous 18-year-old kept her poise to overcome the 71st-ranked Jelena Kostanic of Croatia 6-0, 6-1.
”It was the first day that it’s been really hot like this; it’s good to get through these kinds of matches,” Sharapova said, adding: ”I had to be extra patient.”
Her victory sets up a mouth-watering last 16 clash with the winner of Friday night’s match between defending champion Serena Williams and 17th seed Daniela Hantuchova.
Williams ejected Sharapova in the semifinals last year.
Roddick was equally as impressive in his 6-1, 6-2, 6-2 romp over French qualifier Julien Benneteau, to set up a showdown with unseeded Marcos Baghdatis of Cyprus, who outclassed Denis Gremelmayr of Germany.
The A-Rod, playing in front of his semi-naked female cheer squad, has yet to fulfil his promise as the United States’s next big grand-slam hope after Andre Agassi and Pete Sampras, and is eyeing a final here against Roger Federer.
”I feel like I’m hitting the ball well, I feel like I’m moving well,” said Roddick. ”I just want to keep getting through the rounds.”
But the top-seeded Davenport veered off course and dropped a set against Maria Kirilenko, seeded 25, before steering herself back into contention for a title she won in 2000.
As happened in her second-round match, the American 29-year-old served up an uncharacteristic number of unforced errors, 42, but still came through 6-4, 4-6, 6-2.
Elsewhere, sixth seed Nadia Petrova joined Sharapova in leading a Russian women’s charge into the fourth round, hitting the spot with a comfortable 6-1, 6-2 victory over Maria Elena Camerin of Italy.
Four from four Russian women went through in early matches, including Elena Vesnina and Svetlana Kuznetsova, the 2004 US Open champion, who reached the quarterfinals here last year. She beat Maria Santangelo of Italy.
Petrova, who has steadily climbed the rankings, has never been beyond the fourth round here and will next play Vesnina, who took care of Olga Savchuk of Ukraine.
Kuznetsova will next play Davenport.
”It doesn’t get any easier for me, that’s for sure.” said Davenport. ”Kuznetsova’s a great player. I’m going to have to play really well and I think, most importantly, play more consistently.”
Number eight Justine Henin-Hardenne, the winner in Sydney last week, made light work of Virginie Razzano of France, teeing herself up for a fourth-round clash against Spain’s Virginia Ruano Pascual with a 6-4, 6-2 win.
Men’s fourth seed David Nalbandian plays later, as do seventh seed Ivan Ljubicic of Croatia and American James Blake, the 20th seed who also won in Sydney last week and has brought that form with him to Melbourne.
Elsewhere, Spanish 11th seed David Ferrer had a surprisingly easy 6-3, 6-3, 6-3 workout against Mario Ancic, the 18th seeded Croat, and next plays Fabrice Santoro of France, who beat eighth seed Gaston Gaudio of Argentina in five sets. — Sapa-AFP