Ivanovic and Safina on collision course

by Allan KELLY

TENNIS: PARIS, May 30, 2009 - Defending champion Ana Ivanovic and top seed Dinara Safina moved a step closer to a quarter-final showdown at the French Open on Friday as both brushed aside third round opponents.

The Serb trumped Iveta Benesova of the Czech Republic 6-0, 6-2 while the Russian blasted her way past compatriot Anastasia Pavlyuchenkova with a near identical score of 6-2, 6-0.

In three matches played, Safina has dropped just four games and Ivanovic 14.

One more win and they will meet in the quarter-finals setting up a repeat of last year's final won by Ivanovic 6-4, 6-3 for her first Grand Slam title.

Also enjoying the warm sunshine that returned to Paris after three dull and cold days was comeback girl Maria Sharapova who went the distance for the third straight match before seeing off Yaroslava Shvedova of Kazakhstan 1-6, 3-6, 6-4.

"I know the match is not over until it's over. I can do a lot better and I'm thrilled to have the opportunity to play another match," said Sharapova who is playing only her second tournament since a 10-month injury lay-off.

There was heartache, however, for another of the tournament favourites as Venus Williams lost 6-0, 6-4 to Agnes Szavay of Hungary to continue her run of flops at Roland Garros.

Ivanovic, wearing strapping on her troublesome right knee but showing no signs that the injury was hampering her, had too much power and all-round skill for Benesova as she set up a fourth round encounter with either Carla Suarez Navarro of Spain or ninth seed Victoria Azarenka of Belarus.

Their match was suspended due to bad light after they split the first two sets.

Best matches

The 21-year-old Belgrade beauty, who reached the world No. 1 spot after her win here last year but who has struggled for form and fitness since then, said she had played one of her best matches of the year.

"I feel fit and ready to handle any kind of opponent," she said.

"My game is coming back and I feel more comfortable. I really missed competition last month.

"These kind of matches help for the tough matches ahead in the second week."

The 23-year-old Safina once again blasted out of the blocks peppering her younger opponent with her powerful groundstrokes down both sides of the court.

The Russian, who is the sister of men's former world No.1 Marat Safin, is on a mission here to win a Grand Slam as the No.1 status she took on April 20 has been discredited in some quarters for her failure to have won one of the four major tournaments.She also is keen to bury the memory of last year's final when she allowed nerves to get the better of her against Ivanovic.

"I really did not know what to expect of her," Safina said of Pavlyuchenkova, whom she was playing for the first time."One moment you see her on the television and the next you are playing her in the court.

"She started very good and we had a few very tough games, but when I broke her serve I became more aggressive and I was dominating."

Williams, who had needed to save a match point on Thursday against Lucie Safarova just to get into the third round, was outplayed 6-0, 6-4 by Szavay to go out at this stage of the competion for the third year in a row.

Dismal performance

It was a dismal performance from the reigning Wimbledon champion who has clawed her way back up the world rankings in parallel with sister Serena.

Szavay wrapped up the first set in just 30 minutes yanking her opponent from side to side and showing better footwork at the net.