PARIS (AP) – Maria Sharapova continued her charge through the early rounds of theFrench Open, routing Peng Shuai of China 6-2, 6-1 on Saturday to roll into the fourth round.
By Susan Mullane, US Presswire
Varvara Lepchenko of the USA earns her first trip to the fourth round of a Grand Slam with her 3-6, 6-3, 8-6 victory Saturday against 2010 champ Francesca Schiavone of Italy.
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Sharapova, who is chasing her first French Open championship to complete her career Grand Slam, has dropped just five games in her three victories.
No. 4 Andy Murray of Britain, after fighting off back spasms in the second round, rolled to a 6-3, 6-4, 6-4 victory against Santiago Giraldo of Colombia. Defending champion Rafael Nadal plays later Saturday.
Earlier, unseeded Varvara Lepchenko of the USA stunned 2010 French Open champion Francesca Schiavone of Italy 3-6, 6-3, 8-6 to become the second American woman in the fourth round.
Defending champion Li Na needed three sets to reach the fourth round of against another American, Christina McHale.
The seventh-seeded Li, who last year became the first Chinese player to win a Grand Slam singles title, held on to beat McHale 3-6, 6-2, 6-1.
Li committed 44 unforced errors in the match, 20 more than her unseeded opponent.
The last woman to successfully defend her title at Roland Garros was Justine Henin, who won three straight from 2005-07.
The 63rd-ranked Lepchenko never had made it beyond the second round at any Grand Slam tournament.
But she rallied to eliminate Schiavone, who was the runner-up at last year's French Open, in a match that lasted 3 hours, 2 minutes.
"It's her court, you know," Lepchenko said. "I knew that she's not going to give it for free. I had to work really hard, and I did."
Lepchenko joins Sloane Stephens, who won Friday, to give the U.S. two unseeded women in the fourth round at a major tournament for the first time since Wimbledon in 2002.
Lepchenko was born in Uzbekistan and now lives in Allentown, Pa. She became a U.S. citizen last year.
Also, fourth-seeded Petra Kvitova defeated Nina Bratchikova of Russia 6-2, 4-6, 6-1, and Yaroslava Shvedova of Kazakhstan topped Carla Suarez Navarro of Spain 6-4, 7-5.
Kvitova is the only player ranked in the top 10 that has not yet reached a final this year. But she missed some tournaments with injury and illness.
"I had already a tough season. After Australia I was really injured and I couldn't play," said Kvitova, who won her first Grand Slam title at last year's Wimbledon. "So I'm happy that I can play right now and I can be healthy and play my tennis again."
Sharapova will face Klara Zakopalova of the Czech Republic, who defeated Anastasia Pavlyuchenkova of Russia 6-3, 7-5.
On the men's side, No. 6 David Ferrer of Spain routed No. 27 Mikhail Youzhny of Russia 6-0, 6-2, 6-2, and No. 8 Janko Tipsarevic of Serbia topped Julien Bennetteau of France 6-3, 7-5, 6-4.
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