Top seed Maria Sharapova reached the last 16 of the French Open on Saturday 31st May by defeating Karin Knapp of Italy 7-6 (7/4), 6-0.

Similar to her first two round matches, it was painful progress for Maria whose power game and flat-hitting is ill-suited to the rigours of claycourt tennis.

Knapp, who reached her first WTA final in Antwerp in February, stayed the course in the first set until 3-3 before Sharapova grabbed the first break of the match. Maria was misfiring on her own serve and she allowed Knapp to level the set at 5-5 and then force a tie-break. Knapp had an early mini-break in that to lead 2-1 but four points in a row from Sharapova turned the tables and she was relieved to win it 7/4 smacking a crosscourt backhand winner on set point.

Sharapova won a marathon second game of the second set with another backhand winner to break serve and jump out into a 3-0 lead that she never looked like letting slip. But she will have to add more consistency to her game before going up against compatriot Dinara Safina with a quarter-final place at stake. The pair have met five times with Sharapova winning three.