14 May 2004	Friday	23 Rabi-ul-Awwal 1425

ROME, May 13: French number two seed Amelie Mauresmo advanced into the quarterfinals of the Rome Masters with an impressive straight sets victory over Spanish 13th seed Conchita Martinez on Thursday.

A three-time beaten finalist here, Mauresmo produced a display full of power and movement to defeat the 1994 Wimbledon champion 6-3, 6-4 in 70 minutes at the Foro Italico.

Mauresmo's third round victory over the 32-year-old four-time Rome champion set up a last eight meeting against either Italian 10th seed Silvia Farina Elia or Russian 17-year-old Maria Sharapova, who meet later on Thursday.

American fifth seed Jennifer Capriati, winner of three Grand Slam titles, lost just four games in her straight sets demolition of Argentine Paola Suarez in their third round match.

A trouble-free 6-2, 6-2 victory set up a quarterfinal clash against Israeli 16th seed Anna Smashnova-Pistolesi, who defeated Italian wildcard Flavia Pennetta. Mauresmo, who won her first WTA title of the season in Berlin last week after Venus Williams withdrew from the final due to an ankle injury, struck the first blow, punishing a string of errors to break Martinez for a 3-1 lead.

The Frenchwoman then came close to surrendering her advantage in the following game, but fought back from 0-40 down to hold serve and stretch her advantage.

Mauresmo was tested again in the ninth game, saving break point with a vicious smash before firing her fourth ace for set point. Martinez, who had a tough three-setter against Croatian Karolina Sprem on Wednesday, wilted under the pressure, a half-hearted return into the net enabling Mauresmo to wrap up the opening set in 37 minutes.

Mauresmo's quick feet and willingness to attack saw her break Martinez twice and storm into a 4-0 lead in the second set. Martinez, a quarterfinalist at the French Open last year, stopped the rot by winning three games but Mauresmo regained her composure to finish off her opponent on her serve, a fierce volley ending the contest and exacting revenge for her defeat to Martinez in the German Open final in 1998, their only other previous meeting.

Results (third round):

Silvia Farina Elia (ITA) bt Maria Sharapova (RUS) 7-6 (7/3), 6-0; Vera Zvonareva (RUS) bt Elena Bovina (RUS) 6-0, 6-3; Francesca Schiavone (ITA) bt Elena Likhovtseva (RUS) 6-1, 6-3; Jennifer Capriati (USA) bt Paola Suarez (ARG) 6-2, 6-2; Svetlana Kuznetsova (RUS) bt Ai Sugiyama (JPN) 6-4, 3-6, 7-6 (7/4); Amelie Mauresmo (FRA) bt Conchita Martinez (SPA) 6-3, 6-4; Anna Smashnova-Pistolesi (ISR) bt Flavia Pennetta (ITA) 6-2, 6-2.

Second Round: Silvia Farina Elia (ITA) bt Meghann Shaughnessy (USA) 6-2, 7-5.

Federer cruises

HAMBURG: World number one Roger Federer cruised through to the quarterfinals of the Hamburg Masters with a convincing 7-5 6-1 victory over Chilean baseliner Fernando Gonzalez on Thursday.

Top seed Federer, who made his career breakthrough when he won the Hamburg title two years ago, stepped up a gear after a tight first set to oust Gonzalez, the 13th seed, in the last major men's event before the French Open starts on May 24.

Gonzalez showed character by fighting back from 5-2 down in the first set of the third round match to level the set at 5-5 but Swiss Federer broke him again two games later to take the set in 47 minutes.

The Australian Open and Wimbledon champion was in a class of his own in the second set and underlined his determination by winning the final game to love, Gonzalez bowing out after 73 minutes by netting a backhand on match point.

Results (third round): Carlos Moya (Spain) bt Fernando Verdasco (Spain) 6-4 3-6 6-4; Lleyton Hewitt (Australia) bt Flavio Saretta (Brazil) 6-4 2-6 6-4; Roger Federer (Switzerland) bt Fernando Gonzalez (Chile) 7-5 6-1; Ivan Ljubicic (Croatia) bt Andrei Pavel (Romania) 4-6 6-4 6-3; Mikhail Youzhny (Russia) bt Florian Mayer (Germany) 6-0 7-6 (7-4); David Ferrer (Spain) bt Albert Costa (Spain) 5-7 6-4 6-3; Juergen Melzer (Austria) bt Marat Safin (Russia) 6-4 6-4; Carlos Moya (SPA) bt Fernando Verdasco (SPA) 6-4, 3-6, 6-4. -Agencies