PARIS, May 30: French Open drawcards Rafael Nadal and Maria Sharapova survived French Open scares on Friday but 2002 women’s champion Serena Williams was knocked out in her worst performance in Paris since 1999.

Nadal, bidding to emulate Bjorn Borg as the only man to win four successive Roland Garros titles, needed treatment on his blistered right foot before brushing aside Finland’s Jarkko Nieminen 6-1, 6-3, 6-1 to make the last 16.

Sharapova, the top women’s seed who is seeking a French Open to complete a career Grand Slam, dropped a set for the second match in a row before seeing off colourful American Bethanie Mattek 6-2, 3-6, 6-2 to reach the third round.

But Williams’s eighth Roland Garros appearance came to a disappointing end losing 6-4, 6-4 in the third round to Slovenia’s Katarina Srebotnik to suffer her earliest Roland Garros exit since playing as a 17-year-old in 1999.

World number two Nadal, who has now won all of his 24 matches here, has played four days in succession, a consequence of the havoc brought to the programme by torrential rain earlier in the week.

Despite the injury, Nadal still cruised to victory and will now face either fellow Spaniard Fernando Verdasco or Russian 15th seed Mikhail Youzhny for a place in the quarter-finals.“The foot was blistered and I suffered a little bit. But I didn’t want what happened a week ago to happen again,” said Nadal who suffered the same problem in a shock Rome Masters defeat.

“I am happy to survive. I will have a day off on Saturday and that will be very important.”Nadal was joined in the last 16 by fellow Spaniard Nicolas Almagro after the 19th seed ended Britain’s Andy Murray’s hopes 6-3, 6-7 (3/7), 6-3, 7-5.

Latvia’s Ernest Gulbis, who put out American seventh seed James Blake in the second round, reached the last 16 for the first time with a 6-3, 7-5, 6-2 win over Ecuador’s Nicolas Lapentti.

Gulbis, at 19, is the youngest player left in the men’s draw and he will now face one of the oldest in Frenchman Michael Llodra who served-and-volleyed his way to a 7-6 (7/2), 6-4, 7-6 (7/5) win over Italy’s Simone Bolelli.

Sharapova had led her second round match with Mattek by a set when it was called off for the night on Thursday.

The American then levelled before Sharapova overpowered her opponent with her battery of groundstrokes and will now face Italian Karin Knapp for a place in the last 16.“It’s been a strange tournament so far, from the first round, playing in very difficult conditions to a long wait yesterday,” said the world number one.

“Then today I wake up and you feel like you’re playing a different match in an another tournament. It’s been kind of strange, but the good thing is I still have a match ahead of me.”

Williams had defeated the 27-year-old Srebotnik in all three of their previous meetings, but the Dubai-based Slovenian said she had picked up crucial knowledge from their last match-up on clay in Charleston last month.

She will now face Swiss 10th seed Patty Schnyder of Switzerland for a place in the quarter-finals.

Sister Venus, the eighth seed, was facing Italian claycourter Flavia Pennetta, who beat her in Bangkok last year the last time they played, later in the day.

Second seed Ana Ivanovic, who lost last year’s final to Justine Henin, looked comfortable, after a sluggish start, in despatching rising Danish player Caroline Wozniacki 6-4, 6-1.

Ivanovic will face Petra Cetkovska for a place in the quarter-finals.

French hopes in the women’s event came to an end with Schnyder’s 7-6 (7/4), 5-7, 6-2 win over Emilie Loit while 19th seeded Alize Cornet lost 6-4, 6-4 to Polish 14th seed Agnieszka Radwanska.

Friday’s results (prefix number denotes seeding):

Men’s singles:

Third round: Michael Llodra (France) bt Simone Bolelli (Italy) 7-6(2), 6-4, 7-6(5); 19-Nicolas Almagro (Spain) bt 10-Andy Murray (Britain) 6-3, 6-7(3), 6-3, 7-5; Ernests Gulbis (Latvia) bt Nicolas Lapentti (Ecuador) 6-3, 7-5, 6-2; 2-Rafael Nadal (Spain) bt 26-Jarkko Nieminen (Finland) 6-1, 6-3, 6-1.

Second round: Julien Benneteau (France) bt Alejandro Falla (Colombia) 1-6, 7-6(6), 6-3 6-7(4), 6-0; Florent Serra (France) bt Victor Hanescu (Romania) 6-4, 6-3, 6-7(5), 7-6(5).

Thursday’s remaining results:

Second round: 12-Tommy Robredo (Spain) bt Marc Gicquel (France) 6-7 (7-9), 6-4, 6-4, 6-4; Robby Ginepri (US) bt 27-Igor Andreev (Russia) 4-6, 6-2, 7-6 (7-5), 6-2; Gael Monfils (France) bt Luis Horna (Peru) 7-6 (7-5), 6-4, 7-5; 25-Lleyton Hewitt (Australia) bt Mardy Fish (US) 6-4, 6-3, 6-2; Robin Soderling (Sweden) bt Paul Capdeville (Chile) 6-3, 6-2, 6-4; 5-David Ferrer (Spain) bt Fabrice Santoro (France) 6-0, 6-1, 6-0; 21-Radek Stepanek (Czech Republic) bt Jiri Vanek (Czech Republic) 6-1, 6-0, 6-7 (7-9), 6-3; Juergen Melzer (Austria) bt Marcos Daniel (Brazil) 4-6, 6-3, 2-6, 6-3, 6-4; 4-Nikolay Davydenko (Russia) bt Marat Safin (Russia) 7-6 (7-4), 6-2, 6-2; Mario Ancic (Croatia) bt David Marrero (Spain) 4-6, 6-0, 6-3, 6-2.

Women’s singles:

Third round: 14-Agnieszka Radwanska (Poland) bt 19-Alize Cornet (France) 6-4, 6-4; Petra Cetkovska (Czech Republic) bt Iveta Benesova (Czech Republic) 6-3, 6-3; 2-Ana Ivanovic (Serbia) bt 30-Caroline Wozniacki (Denmark) 6-4, 6-1; 27-Katarina Srebotnik (Slovenia) bt 5-Serena Williams (US) 6-4, 6-4.

Second round: 11-Vera Zvonareva (Russia) bt Stephanie Cohen-Aloro (France) 6-2, 6-4; 1-Maria Sharapova (Russia) bt Bethanie Mattek (US) 6-2, 3-6, 6-2; 25-Nadia Petrova (Russia) bt Alisa Kleybanova (Russia) 6-3, 6-3.

Thursday’s remaining results:

Second round: 4-Svetlana Kuznetsova (Russia) bt Vania King (US) 6-4, 6-2; 29-Anabel Medina (Spain) bt Tsvetana Pironkova (Bulgaria) 4-6, 6-3, 6-1; Zheng Jie (China) bt 21-Maria Kirilenko (Russia) 4-6, 6-3, 6-2; Kaia Kanepi (Estonia) bt 6-Anna Chakvetadze (Russia) 6-4, 7-6 (7-2); 18-Francesca Schiavone (Italy) bt Sanda Mamic (Croatia) 6-3, 6-0; 16-Victoria Azarenka (Belarus) bt Sorana Cirstea (Romania) 6-0, 6-0; 13-Dinara Safina (Russia) bt Magdalena Rybarikova (Slovakia) 6-0, 6-1; Aleksandra Wozniak (Canada) bt Akgul Amanmuradova (Uzbekistan) 1-6, 6-1, 6-3; 12-Agnes Szavay (Hungary) bt Sabine Lisicki (Germany) 7-6 (7-3), 6-3; 32-Karin Knapp (Italy) bt Olivia Sanchez (France) 6-2, 7-6 (7-4).—Agencies