PARIS, May 31: Maria Sharapova led a trio of Russians into the last 16 of the French Open on Saturday while a relieved fifth seed David Ferrer was given an unnerving reminder of just how effective Lleyton Hewitt’s grit can be over five sets.

Top seed Sharapova, so unconvincing in her first two matches this week, looked like she was in for another slog when it took her 81 minutes to clinch the first set on a tiebreak against 32nd seed Karin Knapp.

But Italian Knapp could not emulate the giantkilling feats of compatriot Flavia Pennetta, conqueror of Venus Williams late on Friday, by collapsing 7-6, 6-0 on Court Philippe Chatrier.

Dinara Safina, Sharapova’s next opponent, stepped up to the plate to extinguish Asia’s faint hopes of a champion with a 6-2, 7-5 triumph over China Zheng Jie.

A third Russian, Svetlana Kuznetsova, the 2006 runner-up, bulldozed her way past Nadia Petrova, the 25th seed who looked a pale imitation of the player that twice reached the last four here.

Petrova, semi-finalist in 2003 and 2005 and a former world No 3, opened the match with a double fault and it barely got any better for the 25-year-old, losing 6-2, 6-1 in just 69 minutes.

The fourth seed now faces Belarus teenager Victoria Azarenka, who continued her quiet but no less devastating dash through the draw.

Azarenka, without a win in two previous visits to Roland Garros, has lost just six games in reaching the fourth round with a 6-1, 6-1 win over Italy’s 18th seed Francesca Schiavone.

Third seed Jelena Jankovic needed three games to complete victory in her third-round match against Slovakia’s Dominika Cibulkova, halted in fading light on Friday night. Her 7-5, 6-3 win means she now faces 14th-seeded Pole Agnieszka Radwanska.

Ferrer reached the last 16 for a second time after a bruising three hours 35 minutes dogfight with former world No 1 Hewitt.

The tenacious Australian came into the tournament with no sort of form behind him and a nagging hip injury curtailing his preparations.

But he outslugged Ferrer for large parts of their encounter before finally succumbing 6-2, 3-6, 3-6, 6-3, 6-4 on Court Suzanne Lenglen.

Robby Ginepri was busy dispelling the notion that the chances of an American winner went with the exit of the Williams sisters on Friday.

Ginepri, the world No 88, became the first man from the US to reach the last 16 since Andre Agassi in 2003 when he dispatched France’s Florent Serra 6-4, 6-4, 6-4.

Chilean dasher Fernando Gonzalez, the 24th seed, came back from the brink to end the hopes of Rome finalist and Swiss ninth seed Stanislas Wawrinka 5-7, 2-6, 6-4, 6-4, 6-4.

Switzerland’s No 1 Roger Federer was facing Croatia’s Mario Ancic for a place in the last 16 later on Saturday.

On Friday, the Williams bandwagon rolled out of Roland Garros when sisters Venus and Serena were humbled in the third round by a pair of tenacious opponents who never lost belief.

A day after the French Open lost three top 10 seeds, including David Nalbandian and James Blake, 2002 champion Serena joined them at the exit queue as she roared and screamed her way to a 6-4, 6-4 mauling by Katarina Srebotnik.

Exactly nine hours later, Venus completed a miserable day for the Williams clan when the eighth seed was outslugged, outthought and outgunned 7-5, 6-3 by Italy’s Flavia Pennetta.

In fading light at 2148 local time, Pennetta slammed away a blistering forehand to seal a memorable win.

Saturday’s results (prefix number denotes seeding):

Men’s singles:

Third round: 24-Fernando Gonzalez (Chile) bt 9-Stanislas Wawrinka (Switzerland) 5-7, 2-6, 6-4, 6-4, 6-4; 5-David Ferrer (Spain) bt 25-Lleyton Hewitt (Australia) 6-2, 3-6, 3-6, 6-3, 6-4; Robby Ginepri (US) bt Florent Serra (France) 6-4, 6-4, 6-4; 21-Radek Stepanek (Czech Republic) bt 12-Tommy Robredo (Spain) 6-3, 6-2, 6-1.

Friday’s remaining results:

Third round: 18-Paul-Henri Mathieu (France) bt Eduardo Schwank

(Argentina) 6-2, 6-3, 3-6, 7-6 (11-9); 3-Novak Djokovic (Serbia) bt Wayne Odesnik (US) 7-5, 6-4, 6-2; Jeremy Chardy (France) bt 30-Dmitry Tursunov (Russia) 7-6 (7-1), 6-3, 6-4; 22-Fernando Verdasco (Spain) bt 15-Mikhail Youzhny (Russia) 7-6 (7-5), 5-7, 7-5, 6-1.

Women’s singles:

Third round: 1-Maria Sharapova (Russia) bt 32-Karin Knapp (Italy) 7-6 (7-4), 6-0; 3-Jelena Jankovic (Serbia) bt 28-Dominika Cibulkova (Slovakia) 7-5, 6-3; 13-Dinara Safina (Russia) bt Zheng Jie (China) 6-2, 7-5; 4-Svetlana Kuznetsova (Russia) bt 25-Nadia Petrova (Russia) 6-2, 6-1; 16-Victoria Azarenka (Belarus) bt 18-Francesca Schiavone (Italy) 6-1, 6-1.

Friday’s remaining results:

Third round: 26-Flavia Pennetta (Italy) bt 8-Venus Williams (US) 7-5, 6-3; Carla Suarez Navarro (Spain) bt Casey Dellacqua (Australia) 6-3, 6-3; 10-Patty Schnyder (Switzerland) bt Emilie Loit (France) 7-6 (7-4), 5-7, 6-2.—Reuters