Azarenka eases into quarters

Paris - Third seed Victoria Azarenka reached the French Open quarter-finals for the third time on Monday with a 6-3, 6-0 win over 2010 champion Francesca Schiavone.

The Australian Open champion will face either unseeded Bethanie Mattek-Sands of the United States or Russian 12th seed Maria Kirilenko for a semi-final place.

Schiavone, the world number 50, matched the 23-year-old Azarenka shot for shot and scream for scream in a first set which featured six breaks of serve.

But the pair's nine-year age difference told in the second set, which Azarenka swept through in just 26 minutes, having reeled off nine straight games.

"I think it was the most composed and the most consistent match so far," said Azarenka.

"The beginning was back and forth. I feel like I didn't take all of the opportunities but there was kind of a build-up to later on that I was doing the right thing."

The French Open is the only Grand Slam where Azarenka has failed to get beyond the quarter-finals.

She was beaten at the last-eight stage by Dinara Safina in 2009 and by Li Na, two years later.

Azarenka has a 3-2 winning record against close friend Kirilenko, with whom she reached the Australain Open doubles final in 2011.

Kirilenko won the first two matches of their series but her last triumph was back in 2007.

Mattek-Sands defeated her in qualifying at Indian Wells in 2006.

Later Monday, second seed and defending champion Maria Sharapova takes on America's Sloane Stephens.

Sharapova has defeated the 17th seed in both previous career meetings, including on clay in Rome last month for the loss of just three games.

The winner of that tie will face either America's unseeded Jamie Hampton or Jelena Jankovic, the Serb 18th seed.

Jankovic made the semi-finals in 2007, 2008 and 2010.

French Open fourth round results (x denotes seeded player):

Men:

Fourth round:
Novak Djokovic (SRB x1) bt Philipp Kohlschreiber (GER x16) 4-6, 6-3, 6-4, 6-4
Tommy Haas (GER x12) bt Mikhail Youzhny (RUS x29) 6-1, 6-1, 6-3
Rafael Nadal (ESP x3) bt Kei Nishikori (JPN x13) 6-4, 6-1, 6-3
Stanislas Wawrinka (SUI x9) bt Richard Gasquet (FRA x7) 6-7 (5/7), 4-6, 6-4, 7-5, 8-6

Women:

Fourth round:
Maria Kirilenko (RUS x12) bt Bethanie Mattek-Sands (USA) 7-5, 6-4
Victoria Azarenka (BLR x3) bt Francesca Schiavone (ITA) 6-3, 6-0
Maria Sharapova (RUS x2) bt Sloane Stephens (USA x17) 6-4, 6-3
Jelena Jankovic (SRB x18) bt Jamie Hampton (USA) 6-0, 6-2