French Open: Maria Sharapova serves up simple victory to slide into last 16

The Russian won 6-2, 6-1 and has dropped only five games in three matches so far at Roland Garros. She will now take on Czech Klara Zakopalova, the conqueror of another seeded Russian in Anastasia Pavlyuchenkova, for a place in the quarter-finals.

Sharapova made a perfect start, converting her second break point in the opening game. She won again on the Peng serve but the Chinese player immediately clawed back one of the breaks to trail 3-1.

That became 4-2 before an unplayable deep forehand set up the first of two break points for Sharapova as she moved within one game of winning the set at 5-2, then served out for the set.

And she again broke at the first opportunity in the second set and led 4-0 before the 28th seed got a game on the board. It was her only one, though, with Sharapova closing out a 66-minute victory.

Zakopalova knocked out 22nd seed Pavlyuchenkova 6-3, 7-5. The 22-year-old will be looking to reach the quarter-finals for the first time.

Wimbledon champion Petra Kvitova survived a test before getting past Nina Bratchikova 6-2, 4-6, 6-1.

After powering through the first set, the Czech found herself trailing 5-1 in the second to her Russian opponent, ranked 109. Kvitova always looked to have too much power and quality andshe was relatively untroubled in the decider.

In the fourth round Kvitova will play unseeded American Varvara Lepchenko, who ensured there will be no third final in a row for Italy’s Francesca Schiavone.

The 14th seed took the first set but was pegged back by Lepchenko. The third set was a topsy-turvy affair, with the American serving for the match at 5-3 only for Schiavone to level, but Lepchenko broke again and then saved four break points on her own serve before finally taking it 3-6, 6-3, 8-6.

Former world No.1 Caroline Wozniacki followed Schiavone out after a surprise 6-1, 6-7 (3-7), 6-3 defeat to Estonia’s Kaia Kanepi. Ninth seed Wozniacki had looked set for a straight sets defeat as world No.25 Kanepi led 5-3 in the second set. But the 21-year-old Dane fought back from match point down to force a deciding set but, Kanepi stayed strong to secure victory and will play Arantxa Rus who won 7-6 (7-5), 2-6, 6-2 against Julia Goerges.

Defending champion Li Na saw off 20-year-old American Christina McHale 3-6, 6-2, 6-1. Li, who now faces Yaroslava Shvedova, said: “In the first set I think I always followed what she did. She’s a very dangerous player. I was happy I could win the match.”

In the men’s draw David Ferrer sent a message to the top four that he could be a real threat with a third-round demolition of Mikhail Youzhny. The sixth seed, who is one of the best in the world on clay, won 6-0, 6-2, 6-2, is seeded to meet Andy Murray in the quarter-finals. He has won all three of his meetings on clay with the world No.4.

Murray will not have been encouraged by the ease with which Ferrer disposed of Youzhny, the 27th seed. It was not until the ninth game that the Russian finally got on the board but things did not improve much for Youzhny from there, with Ferrer needing only an hour and 41 minutes to clinch victory.

Defending champion Rafael Nadal continued his trouble-free progress with a 6-1, 6-3, 6-4 victory over Eduardo Schwank.

The Spaniard has had a kind draw – qualifier Schwank is 192 in the rankings – but he has looked in superb form.

The second seed will now meet 13th seed Juan Monaco, who beat big-hitting Canadian Milos Raonic 6-7 (5/7), 6-3, 6-7 (5/7), 6-3, 6-4.

Local hero Paul-Henri Mathieufought back from two sets to love down against 20th seed Marcel Granollers before going down 6-4, 6-4, 1-6, 4-6, 6-1.

Eighth seed Janko Tipsarevic and Nicolas Almagro, seeded 12, will meet in the fourth round after comfortable wins. Spaniard Almagro is a clay-court specialist and was far too good for Leonardo Mayer, winning 6-4, 6-1, 6-2, while Tipsarevic saw off Frenchman Julien Benneteau 6-3, 7-5, 6-4.