Sharapova restores order at shock-hit French Open, Azarenka, Li advance

Maria Sharapova helped restore order at the French Open on Saturday after Roland Garros had been shellshocked by the loss of its top two seeds before the fourth round stage, a 40-year low point for Paris. The seventh seeded Russian, whose best performance remains a 2007 semi-final place, comfortably reached the last 16 with a 6-2, 6-3 win over Taiwan qualifier Chan Yung-Jan.
Sharapova had to recover from a set and 1-4 down to defeat French 17-year-old, and world 188, Caroline Garcia in three sets to reach the last 32 on Thursday. But there were no dramas on Saturday with the former world number one and triple Grand Slam title winner strolling to her third victory in three meetings with the 129-ranked Chan.
Sharapova will next face Poland's Agnieszka Radwanska, the 12th seed, for a place in the quarter-finals. Belarusian fourth seed Victoria Azarenka, a 2009 quarter-finalist and China's Li Na, the sixth seed, also eased into the last 16. Azarenka romped to a 6-3, 6-2 win over Italian 30th seed Roberta Vinci while Li, the first Chinese player to make a Grand Slam final at the Australian Open this year, enjoyed a comfortable 6-2, 6-2 win over Romania's Sorana Cirstea.
Li reached the fourth round for the second time by seeing off 21-year-old Cirstea, a 2009 quarter-finalist, and will next face dangerous Czech ninth seed Petra Kvitova who ended American interest with a 6-4, 6-2 win over Vania King. Andrea Petkovic, the German 15th seed, also went into last 16 with a 6-2, 4-6, 6-3 win over Jarmila Gajdosova, the last Australian in the event.