Nadal and Sharapova advance, de Brito dazzles

PARIS - Rafael Nadal and Maria Sharapova battled into the French Open last 32 on Wednesday, while Roland Garros stadium saw the future of women’s tennis in the shape of 16-year-old Michelle Larcher de Brito.

Four-time champion Nadal enjoyed a comfortable 6-1, 6-4, 6-2 win over Teimuraz Gabashvili of Russia to register a record 30th straight win here to better the mark set by Chris Evert.

In the first round Nadal surpassed Bjorn Borg for the longest unbeaten run for a man. With a tournament win here on June 7, Nadal would become the first to win five titles in a row in Paris.

“I came here to get a result without thinking about these records,” said Nadal, who will face former world No. 1 Lleyton Hewitt for a place in the last 16. “The important thing is to play my best tennis and be there on the final Sunday.”

Triple Grand Slam title winner Sharapova, playing only her second tournament following a 10-month hiatus to recover from shoulder surgery, prevailed in a bruising 6-2, 1-6, 8-6 win over Russian compatriot Nadia Petrova.

The former world No. 1, whose world ranking has slumped to 102 due to her lengthy absence, will now face Kazakh qualifier Yaroslava Shvedova for a place in the last 16.

“These types of matches are very important for me although I spent more time on the court than I wanted to,” said Sharapova after the encounter, which lasted two hours and 12 minutes. “But I’m learning new things. It was a great match where I had to fight really hard and that’s what I did. I’m glad I picked myself up and I could win.”

Portuguese teenager de Brito only turned 16 in January and, like Sharapova, is a graduate of the famed Nick Bolletieri academy in Florida, which she joined when she was nine.

Making her Grand Slam debut, de Brito, ranked 132, came through qualifying and on Wednesday secured a place in the last 32 with a 6-4, 6-3 win over China’s 15th seed Zheng Jie, who reached the Wimbledon semifinals last year.

De Brito, with her flowing all-court game and deafening decibel level, now goes on to face France’s Aravane Rezai.

“I went to Florida when I was nine with my family. But I feel Portuguese and that will always be the case,” the teenager said. “I feel super fit. I have felt a lot less pressure here than in other tournaments. I play, that’s it.”

In the midst of Sharapova’s heroics and de Brito’s headline-grabbing performance, defending champion Ana Ivanovic slipped quietly into the next round with a 6-1, 6-2 victory over Thai veteran Tamarine Tanasugarn.

Next up for the Serbian eighth seed is Czech left-hander Iveta Benesova. Former world No. 1 Marat Safin, playing his last season before retirement, was knocked out by French wildcard Josselin Ouanna, the world 134, in a clash that lasted four and a half hours. Ouanna won 7-6 (7/2), 7-6 (7/4), 4-6, 3-6, 10-8.

Hewitt made sure he’d face Nadal for the third time in four years with a straightforward 6-4, 6-3, 6-1 win over Andrey Golubev of Kazakhstan.

British third seed Andy Murray battled into the last 32, overcoming a stern test from Italian world 104 Potito Starace before prevailing 6-3, 2-6, 7-5, 6-4.

Murray next faces Janko Tipsarevic, who put out Spanish 28th seed Feliciano Lopez. AFP