Top seed Roger Federer and Russian golden girl Maria Sharapova lifted the Paris gloom on Wednesday when they shrugged off the bitter cold and rain-choked skies to reach the French Open third round.
World number one Federer took just 86 minutes to brush aside the feeble challenge of Colombia’s Alejandro Falla 6-1, 6-4, 6-3 as he kept his Grand Slam dream on track.
The Swiss top seed, who now faces Chilean 32nd seed Nicolas Massu, is bidding to become the first man since 1969 to hold all four Grand Slam titles at the same time.
”It was tough to concentrate,” said Federer, whose march to victory was interrupted by two rain stoppages.
”You come back on court and hope your game hasn’t left you, but I was always in control today [Wednesday].”
Women’s top seed Amelie Mauresmo recovered from second set jitters before overpowering Russia’s Vera Dushevina of 6-1, 7-6 (7/5) and now faces Serb Jelena Jankovic for a place in the last 16.
Jankovic hit back to defeat Marion Bartoli of France 2-6, 6-4, 6-1.
”My mind went away a little in the second set,” Mauresmo said. ”I was struggling a lot and needed to stay more focused.
”But I was still able to control the match at the key moments and that’s what made the difference.”
Russian fourth seed Sharapova also braved two rain suspensions before easing past the Czech Republic’s Iveta Benesova 6-4, 6-1.
Sharapova now takes on Australia’s Alicia Molik for a place in the fourth round.
Sharapova, the Wimbledon champion in 2004, came into Roland Garros having not played a clay court match all season after an eight-week spell on the sidelines nursing a painful and swollen right ankle.
But on Wednesday she enjoyed a far more comfortable afternoon than her first-round, three-set marathon against Mashona Washington.
Also making the next round of the men’s draw was Argentina’s third seed David Nalbandian, who enjoyed a 6-2, 3-6, 7-5, 6-0 win over France’s Richard Gasquet.
Nalbandian will now face either Russian 31st seed Dmitry Tursunov or Britain’s Tim Henman for a place in the last 16.
Tursunov was leading two sets to love when play was halted because of bad light.
Russians Nikolay Davydenko and Dinara Safina went through, revelling in the cold, damp conditions, which were more Moscow than springtime Paris.
Davydenko, the men’s sixth seed, booked his place when Brazil’s Flavio Saretta pulled out with flu with the Russian leading 6-2, 4-1 while Safina, the women’s 14th seed, brushed aside Hana Sromova of the Czech Republic 6-0, 6-2.
Davydenko now faces 1998 champion Carlos Moya of Spain, the 30th seed who put out Mikhail Youzhny of Russia 6-3, 6-4, 6-2.
”Roland Garros is always special,” said Moya. ”I know I am not the favourite but I think I have still got good tennis to play.”
Safina, who now faces Slovenian 24th seed Katarina Srebotnik, admitted that advice from big brother Marat Safin had helped her in the last twelve months.
”He told me to get in better shape, but I knew that I had to be fitter to compete with the top 10 players. It’s something I’ve been working on,” said the 20-year-old.
Japanese 22nd seed Ai Sugiyama was knocked out by French qualifier Aravane Rezai 4-6, 6-4, 6-3, who goes on to face Czech 16th seed Nicole Vaidisova.
Lukas Dlouhy of the Czech Republic claimed the only seeded scalp of the day with a 4-6, 7-6 (7/2), 6-3, 6-1 win over Argentina’s Jose Acasuso, the 26th seed.
Nicolas Kiefer, the German 13th seed, had to battle hard to see off French wildcard Marc Gicquel 6-0, 6-1, 5-7, 3-6, 11-9.
China’s Li Na reached the third round of the women’s singles with a 7-5, 6-3 win against Russian 27th seed Anna Chakvetadze, but compatriots Sun Tiantian and Peng Shuai were knocked out.
American 11th seed Venus Williams saw off Emma Laine 7-6 (7/2), 6-2 and now meets Croatia’s Karolina Sprem for a place in the lst 16. — AFP
