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Sharapova moves past compatriot

Bulgaria's Sesil Karatantcheva, ranked 98th, just after defeating Venus Williams of the US during their third-round match in the French Open at Roland Garros stadium in Paris on Friday. Karatantcheva overcame Williams 6-3, 1-6, 6-1. PHOTO: AP

Maria Sharapova had Anna Chakvetadze pounding the clay with her racket in frustration -- and that was just two games into the match.

Taking charge from the start Saturday, Sharapova won a duel of 18-year-old Russians in the third round of the French Open, 6-1, 6-4.

Sharapova, seeded second, is seeking her first Roland Garros title and trying to overtake Lindsay Davenport to claim the No. 1 ranking for the first time.

Three other Russian women also advanced -- No. 6-seeded Svetlana Kuznetsova, No. 7 Nadia Petrova and No. 12 Elena Bovina.

Sharapova won the first five games against Chakvetadze, although the first two lasted a total of 24 points. Sharapova broke serve for the third time in the opening game of the second set, then held the rest of the way to win in 1 hour, 14 minutes.

Sharapova was briefly forced to delay her victory celebration. When Chakvetadze pulled a backhand barely wide on match point, Sharapova waited at the baseline while the chair umpire checked the mark and confirmed the call.

The two Russians shook hands, and Sharapova then grinned and blew kisses to the crowd on Court Suzanne Lenglen.

"I got off to a really good start, and I was in control from the first game," Sharappova said. "As the rounds go on, it's going to be a lot tougher than it is right now, so I have to raise my level another notch."

Kuznetsova, the reigning US Open champion, beat American Marissa Irvin 6-1, 2-6, 6-0. That left Davenport as the lone remaining American, male or female, among the 22 who entered the tournament.

Petrova swept Shahar Peer 6-3, 6-1, and Bovina beat 17-year-old Frenchwoman Tatiana Golovin 6-3, 7-5. Golovin had seven double faults and squandered a lead in the second set.

Chakvetadze also had seven double faults, while Sharapova displayed the dominating serve and pinpoint groundstrokes that helped her win Wimbledon last year. She had 19 winners and 19 unforced errors.

VENUS SETS

Venus Williams did plenty to beat herself, and 15-year-old Sesil Karatantcheva took care of the rest.

The young Bulgarian upset an erratic Williams 6-3, 1-6, 6-1 Friday in the third round of the French Open.

"I had never heard of her before this match," Williams said. "She played well, definitely. But I also felt like if I just played 10 percent better, I'm going to win this match easily."

Williams hit just nine winners and committed 52 unforced errors, including seven double faults. She lost serve nine times, including all four service games in the final set.

It was the latest Grand Slam disappointment for the 11th-seeded Williams, who was seeking her fifth major title and her first since 2001. She hoped for a strong showing at Roland Garros after winning a final for the first time in a year last week at Istanbul.

Williams showed up for the customary postmatch news conference shortly after her defeat, explaining that she was eager to return to Florida.

"I want to leave," she said. "I have nothing more to do here. I just want to go."

Younger sister Serena missed the tournament because of a lingering ankle injury.

Karatantcheva, ranked 98th, won the Roland Garros juniors title last year and earned her first victory in a Grand Slam match earlier this week. She trains in Florida, and both her parents are former Bulgarian national champions -- dad in rowing, mom in volleyball.

But few expected her to give Williams trouble.

"She really didn't play her best tennis," Karatantcheva said. "I definitely don't think it was the Venus Williams I watch on TV and I see when I started out. But for me, I did give what I could give. I like that I won, no matter what."

Lindsay Davenport's fourth-round opponent will be two-time French Open runner-up Kim Clijsters, who eliminated No. 20-seeded Daniela Hantuchova 6-4, 6-2.

Clijsters has beaten Davenport in their past six meetings.

"Not the record you want going into a match with someone," Davenport said. "I have a tough time playing her on my favorite surface, let alone my least favorite, clay."

They'll meet on clay for the first time. A victory would put Davenport in the quarterfinals for the first time since 1999 at Roland Garros, the lone Grand Slam title she has yet to win.
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