June 04, 2007	Monday	Jamadi-ul-Awwal 18, 1428

PARIS, June 3: Maria Sharapova saved two match points on Sunday and advanced to the quarter-finals at the French Open by beating Patty Schnyder of Switzerland 3-6, 6-4, 9-7.

Schnyder served for the match three times, at 5-4, 6-5 and 7-6 in the third set. She was one point away from ending the match in the 10th game and again in the 14th — and she also was two points away from victory on 11 occasions.

When Sharapova pulled it out on her first match point, as Schnyder sailed a forehand wide to get broken again, the Russian covered her face with both hands and looked on the verge of tears. As both players met at the net, there was a mix of boos and applause.

The second-seeded Russian will next face No 9 Anna Chakvetadze, who beat No 25 Lucie Safarova of the Czech Republic 6-4, 0-6, 6-2.

Sharapova pumped her fist and screamed encouragement to herself throughout the third set at Roland Garros.

In the 15th game, Sharapova won a disputed point when serving at 30-love. Schnyder watched the serve land in the box, but complained she wasn't ready.

The chair umpire ruled the point would count, giving Sharapova her only ace of the match.

Serena Williams and Justine Henin also won, setting up a quarterfinal showdown. Williams beat Dinara Safina of Russia 6-2, 6-3, while two-time defending champion Henin beat No 20 Sybille Bammer 6-2, 6-4.

Roger Federer also advanced to the quarter-finals, beating No 13 Mikhail Youzhny of Russia 7-6 (7-3), 6-4, 6-4. The top-ranked Swiss star tied the Open-era record for most consecutive sets won at Grand Slams, taking his streak to 35.

“I've got enough shirts for five-set matches in the bag,” Federer said. “I only used one today.”

Federer next faces No 9 Tommy Robredo, who defeated No 29 Filippo Volandri of Italy 6-2, 7-5, 6-1. Federer beat Robredo at the Australian Open.

Federer, trying to win his fourth consecutive major title and complete a career Grand Slam, also matched another Grand Slam mark with 11 straight-set victories in a row. John McEnroe set both records during Wimbledon and the US Open in 1984.

Federer hasn't lost a set at a major tournament since dropping the second set of last year's US Open final against Andy Roddick. He won the last two sets of that match, then won all seven of his matches at the Australian Open in January in straight sets — becoming the first man to win a Grand Slam title without dropping a set since Bjorn Borg at the 1980 French Open.

The 10th-seeded Safina broke Williams at love to even the second set at 3-3, but the American then won 12 of the last 14 points.

“That was definitely better today,” said Williams, who missed the last two French Opens with injury but won the Australian Open in January.

Safina hurt herself with five double-faults, but her powerful groundstrokes keep Williams moving all over the court.

Third-seeded Svetlana Kuznetsova advanced by beating No 15 Shahar Peer of Israel 6-4, 6-3, and No 6 Nicole Vaidisova reached the quarterfinals by defeating No 19 Tathiana Garbin of Italy 6-3, 6-1.

“I feel like I'm getting better on clay,” said Vaidisova, who reached the semi-finals at Roland Garros last year and also made the last four at this year's Australian Open. “For some people it's a tough surface, but I like playing on it.”

In the quarter-finals, Vaidisova will face No 4 Jelena Jankovic, who beat Marion Bartoli of France 6-1, 6-1. Seventh-seeded Ana Ivanovic also advanced, beating No 24 Anabel Medina Garrigues of Spain 6-3, 3-6, 6-3, and will next play Kuznetsova.

On the men's side, Guillermo Canas defeated Juan Monaco 6-0, 6-4, 6-2. Canas, who beat Federer twice this year, could meet the 10-time Grand Slam champion in the semi-finals.This is Canas' first major since serving a 15-month ban for doping after testing positive for a diuretic in 2005.

Russian fourth seed Nikolay Davydenko beat David Nalbandian, the 15th seeded Argentinian, 6-3, 7-6 (7-1), 3-6, 7-6 (7-2) to set up a quarter-final date with Canas.

Meanwhile, Highly-fancied Serb Novak Djokovic was forced to dig deep before overcoming French wildcard Olivier Patience in five sets on Saturday.

The sixth seed eventually triumphed 7-6, 2-6, 3-6, 7-6, 6-3 but not before being given a severe test by an inspired opponent ranked more than 100 places below him.

Djokovic, 20, twice served to stay alive in the fourth set as a patriotic home crowd roared on the last Frenchman standing.

He kept his nerve though and levelled the match with some thundering winners in a tense tiebreak.

Patience saved six break points in the second game of the decider as he hung on despite suffering with blisters and then Djokovic came back from 0-40 down at 3-3 before finally establishing some daylight by breaking in the next game.

Patience refused to buckle, saving a match point after another exhausting rally but Djokovic sealed it on his second when the weary Frenchman struck a forehand wide.

Lleyton Hewitt kept his focus to edge past Finn Jarkko Nieminen 1-6, 6-3, 7-5, 6-2 and set up a mouthwatering fourth-round showdown against champion Rafael Nadal.

The Australian reached the last 16 for second year running after slugging it out for almost three hours. Nieminen surrendered by shovelling a backhand into the net.

After pushing Nadal to the brink in the Hamburg semis last month, Hewitt will be gunning for revenge when the duo clash on Monday.

Sunday’s results (prefix number denotes seeding):

Men’s singles:

Fourth round: 4-Nikolay Davydenko (Russia) beat 15-David Nalbandian (Argentina) 6-3, 7-6 (7-1), 3-6, 7-6 (7-2); 19-Guillermo Canas (Argentina) beat Juan Monaco (Argentina) 6-0, 6-4, 6-2; 1-Roger Federer (Switzerland) beat 13-Mikhail Youzhny (Russia) 7-6 (7-3), 6-4, 6-4; 9-Tommy Robredo (Spain) beat 29-Filippo Volandri (Italy) 6-2, 7-5, 6-1.

Women’s singles:

Fourth round: 2-Maria Sharapova (Russia) beat 14-Patty Schnyder

(Switzerland) 3-6, 6-4, 9-7; 9-Anna Chakvetadze (Russia) beat 25-Lucie Safarova (Czech Republic) 6-4, 0-6, 6-2; 4-Jelena Jankovic (Serbia) beat 18-Marion Bartoli (France) 6-1, 6-1; 7-Ana Ivanovic (Serbia) beat 24-Anabel Medina (Spain) 6-3, 3-6, 6-3; 1-Justine Henin (Belgium) beat 20-Sybille Bammer (Austria) 6-2, 6-4; 8-Serena Williams (US) beat 10-Dinara Safina (Russia) 6-2, 6-3; 6-Nicole Vaidisova (Czech Republic) beat 19-Tathiana Garbin (Italy) 6-3, 6-1.

Saturday’s remaining results:

Men’s singles:

Third round: Fernando Verdasco (Spain) beat 12-David Ferrer (Spain) 4-6, 7-6 (7-2), 6-3, 6-3; 14-Lleyton Hewitt (Australia) beat 20-Jarkko Nieminen (Finland) 1-6, 6-3, 7-5, 6-2; 2-Rafael Nadal (Spain) beat Albert Montanes (Spain) 6-1, 6-3, 6-2; 6-Novak Djokovic (Serbia) beat Olivier Patience (France) 7-6 (7-2), 2-6, 3-6, 7-6 (7-4), 6-3.—Agencies