Number two seed Maria Sharapova advanced to the third round at Wimbledon yesterday with an almost effortless 6-0 6-3 victory over France’s Severine Bremond.

Maria, who won Wimbledon at the age of 17 in 2004, never looked seriously troubled on a windswept Centre Court and earned a third-round tie against Japan’s Ai Sugiyama.

Sharapova said afterwards that her injured shoulder, which kept her out of action for two months earlier this season, was “holding up.” Asked if it would last the full two weeks of the tournament,” she said “I don’t know, we’ll see. I’ll tell you when I am done playing here.”

“I played a really solid first set and it was really hard with the conditions because the wind was swirling,” Sharapova said.

Maria Sharapova is hungrier than ever and convinced she can reclaim her Wimbledon crown next month.

It is four years since the Russian pin-up burst on to the scene as a complete unknown with a fourth-round appearance at the All England Club, followed 12 months later by victory over Serena Williams in the final.

“I’ve done it before so I can do it again,” she said. “Grass definitely suits my game. I think in any grand slam I have a chance - I’ve been to the final of the Australian Open and just got to the semi-finals of the French - but everywhere you feel comfortable is obviously where you feel you can do well.”

She added: “I did it three years ago when I was this little skinny girl the size of spaghetti, so I definitely can do it now.

“I still have a few years to physically mature but I’m definitely stronger than I was a year ago.”

Maria Sharapova won her way into her first ever Roland Garros semi-final after beating fellow Russian Anna Chakvetadze 6-3 6-4 at the French Open on Tuesday.

The current US Open champion is still on course for her first victory at the famous Parisian tournament after the straight sets victory. Now only Serbian Ana Ivanovic stands between her and her fourth Grand Slam final.

The first set was won thanks to the inconsistency of her opponent. Chakvetadze’s serve proved extremely erratic and her decision making on key shots was poor. The telling statistic is that Sharapova took one of her two break points in the first set, while Chakvetadze wasted all four of hers.

It got worse for her in the second, as she was broken by Sharapova in the first game of the set. That loss motivated her, though, and the number nine seed began to use her excellent backhand to devastating effect, turning the set around to lead 2-1.

Sharapova found it hard to cope with her backhand, but managed to hold serve and stay in touch.

As great as Chakvetadze’s backhand was, however, her forehand let her down on numerous occasions, not least when she lost another good chance to break at 4-4 by shanking a simple shot into the stands.

Sharapova took the next game and never looked back.

Second seed Maria Sharapova saved two match points before progressing into the quarter-finals of the French Open following an epic fourth-round clash against Patty Schnyder.
Maria who has been playing through pain at this year’s Roland Garros after her recent shoulder problems, held her nerve to claim a sensational 3-6 6-4 9-7 triumph, after more than two-and-a-half hours’ play on Suzanne Lenglen court.

Sharapova saved match points in the 10th and 14th games of the last set, only to clinch victory on the first of her own in the 16th and final game.

Schnyder, the 14th seed, will bemoan her failure to finish off Sharapova, the Swiss having served for the match on three occasions in the 77-minute final set.

Sharapova, who has never got past the quarter-finals at the Paris grand slam, will next play Russia’s Anna Chakvetadze after the ninth seed beat Lucie Safarova 6-4 0-6 6-2.