Li goes through, Sharapova too strong for Peng
Source: Agencies |
June 3, 2012, Sunday
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Print Edition
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LAST year's finalists Francesca Schiavone and Li Na headed in opposite directions at the French Open yesterday when the Italian was knocked out in the third round and the Chinese fought her way through to the last 16 with a tough win.
Schiavone, the Roland Garros winner in 2010 and runner-up to Li last year, was unlucky to run into battling American Varvara Lepchenko for the second time in a month.
Uzbekistan-born Lepchenko, who beat the world No. 12 on Madrid's new blue clay four weeks ago, struck again, defeating Schiavone 3-6, 6-3, 8-6 in the midday sun on Court One.
Seventh seed Li had to fight hard against world No. 36 Christina McHale of the United States before winning 3-6, 6-2, 6-1 and setting up a fourth-round match against Kazakh qualifier Yaroslava Shvedova, who eased past Carla Suarez Navarro of Spain 6-4, 7-5.
On a hot day at Roland Garros in Paris, Russian Mikhail Youzhny melted hearts when he scrawled the word "SORRY!" in the clay with the toe of his shoe after winning only six points in the first eight games of a three-set thrashing by Spanish sixth seed David Ferrer.
"I just wanted to say sorry to the fans because they came to see a beautiful match but I simply could not give them that," Youzhny told Russian reporters after the 0-6, 2-6, 2-6 defeat.
Li struggled with her serve at the start and blamed herself for being too passive.
"In the first set I was always following what she did, feeling like she was the champion on the court," Li told a news conference. "She is a very dangerous player; I was happy I could win ... because I had more experience."
Li's compatriot Peng Shuai, however, lost, falling to Maria Sharapova 2-6, 1-6.
The Russian's next opponent is Czech Klara Zakopalova, who defeated Anastasia Pavlyuchenkova of Russia 6-3, 7-5.
Czech fourth seed Petra Kvitova, the Wimbledon champion, had hoped to get a swift win on the Philippe Chatrier Court after taking the first set against Nina Bratchikova in 28 minutes.
The Russian upped her game however, and Kvitova needed a third set to win 6-2, 4-6, 6-1 and go through to a meeting with Lepchenko, who had never before made it past the second round at any grand slam.
Men's fourth seed Andy Murray opened up his match against Santiago Giraldo of Colombia with no sign of the lower back discomfort that nearly forced him to abandon in the third round, the Briton easing through 6-3, 6-4, 6-3.
Also through to the last 16 in early play was eighth seed Janko Tipsarevic of Serbia who worked his way past Frenchman Julien Benneteau 6-3, 7-5, 6-4.
Tipsarevic won the last five games of the match after being 1-4 down in the third set to reach the last 16 in Paris for the first time and will take on Nicolas Almagro, the Spaniard easing to a 6-4, 6-1, 6-2 victory over Argentina's Leonardo Mayer.
Schiavone, the Roland Garros winner in 2010 and runner-up to Li last year, was unlucky to run into battling American Varvara Lepchenko for the second time in a month.
Uzbekistan-born Lepchenko, who beat the world No. 12 on Madrid's new blue clay four weeks ago, struck again, defeating Schiavone 3-6, 6-3, 8-6 in the midday sun on Court One.
Seventh seed Li had to fight hard against world No. 36 Christina McHale of the United States before winning 3-6, 6-2, 6-1 and setting up a fourth-round match against Kazakh qualifier Yaroslava Shvedova, who eased past Carla Suarez Navarro of Spain 6-4, 7-5.
On a hot day at Roland Garros in Paris, Russian Mikhail Youzhny melted hearts when he scrawled the word "SORRY!" in the clay with the toe of his shoe after winning only six points in the first eight games of a three-set thrashing by Spanish sixth seed David Ferrer.
"I just wanted to say sorry to the fans because they came to see a beautiful match but I simply could not give them that," Youzhny told Russian reporters after the 0-6, 2-6, 2-6 defeat.
Li struggled with her serve at the start and blamed herself for being too passive.
"In the first set I was always following what she did, feeling like she was the champion on the court," Li told a news conference. "She is a very dangerous player; I was happy I could win ... because I had more experience."
Li's compatriot Peng Shuai, however, lost, falling to Maria Sharapova 2-6, 1-6.
The Russian's next opponent is Czech Klara Zakopalova, who defeated Anastasia Pavlyuchenkova of Russia 6-3, 7-5.
Czech fourth seed Petra Kvitova, the Wimbledon champion, had hoped to get a swift win on the Philippe Chatrier Court after taking the first set against Nina Bratchikova in 28 minutes.
The Russian upped her game however, and Kvitova needed a third set to win 6-2, 4-6, 6-1 and go through to a meeting with Lepchenko, who had never before made it past the second round at any grand slam.
Men's fourth seed Andy Murray opened up his match against Santiago Giraldo of Colombia with no sign of the lower back discomfort that nearly forced him to abandon in the third round, the Briton easing through 6-3, 6-4, 6-3.
Also through to the last 16 in early play was eighth seed Janko Tipsarevic of Serbia who worked his way past Frenchman Julien Benneteau 6-3, 7-5, 6-4.
Tipsarevic won the last five games of the match after being 1-4 down in the third set to reach the last 16 in Paris for the first time and will take on Nicolas Almagro, the Spaniard easing to a 6-4, 6-1, 6-2 victory over Argentina's Leonardo Mayer.
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