Russians fly and match-fixing raises ugly head

PARIS (Reuters) - While Maria Sharapova led a stampede of Russian women into the last 16 of the French Open on Saturday, their hopes of a men's champion vanished when Nikolay Davydenko fell victim to a stunning Ivan Ljubicic fightback.

As Russians and top seed Roger Federer dominated action on the court, the ITF announced an investigation had been launched into claims by Japan's Akiko Morigami that a coach asked her to throw a Roland Garros doubles match this week to free up her playing partner's bid to qualify for the Beijing Olympics.

Officials said they were taking 'very seriously' Morigami's claims and they would await a report from local organizers before deciding on a course of action.

Morigami told Japanese media a coach asked her to lose her doubles match against Taiwanese fourth seeds Chan Yung-jan and Chuang Chia-jung, they lost 6-0 6-1, so that playing partner Aiko Nakamura could play a tournament next week.

Announcing the probe, the ITF said: "It is especially disappointing for the ITF because even the suggestion of impropriety regarding the Olympic tennis event is contrary to the spirit of the Olympic Games."

Four compatriots joined Sharapova in the top half of the draw on Saturday but Davydenko, hoping to be the first Russian men's champion since Yevgeny Kafelnikov in 1996, threw away a two-set lead against revitalized Croatian 28th seed Ljubicic.

Top seed Sharapova, so unconvincing in her first two matches this week, looked like she was in for another slog when it took her 81 minutes to clinch the first set on a tiebreak against 32nd seed Karin Knapp.

But Italian Knapp then collapsed in the second and went down 7-6 6-0 on Court Philippe Chatrier.

"I kind of forgot what it felt like to finish it in two," joked Sharapova, a semi-finalist last year. "I just have to go out there and try to improve and try to get better, and then when it counts you hope that you're the one that steps up."

PALE IMITATION

Dinara Safina, Sharapova's next opponent, certainly stepped up to the plate to extinguish Asia's faint hopes of a champion with a 6-2 7-5 triumph over China's Zheng Jie.

Svetlana Kuznetsova, the 2006 runner-up, bulldozed her way past Nadia Petrova, the 25th seed who looked a pale imitation of the player that twice reached the last four here.

Petrova opened the match with a double fault and it got no better for the 25-year-old, losing 6-2 6-1 in 69 minutes.

"Definitely I think I have a chance. Why not?" former U.S. Open champion Kuznetsova told reporters.

"I think there is a few players who have a really good shot to win it, and I hope one of them is me."

The fourth seed now faces Belarus teenager Victoria Azarenka, who continued her quiet but no less devastating dash through the draw. Her 6-1 6-1 win over Italy's Francesca Schiavone took her tally of lost games for the week to just six.

Third seed Jelena Jankovic needed three games to complete a 7-5 6-3 victory in her third-round match against Slovakia's Dominika Cibulkova held over from Friday while there were comfortable wins for Elena Dementieva and Vera Zvonareva, who will make up a second all-Russian last 16 match-up.

Federer, at his imperious hair-flicking best, made a mockery of potential banana skin Mario Ancic by crushing the Croatian 6-3 6-4 6-2 on Philippe Chatrier Court to set up a fourth-round clash with France's Julien Benneteau.

"Benneteau can play very well, and he's playing with the home support, so it always makes it a little bit more tricky. We'll see what he's got on Monday," Federer said.

GINEPRI FLYING SOLO

Benneteau's four-set win over Robin Soderling and Gael Monfils's victory over Austria's Juergen Melzer meant five Frenchmen had reached the last 16 for the first time since 1971.

Davydenko had never lost to Ljubicic on clay, but the wily Croatian took his career record against the fourth seed to 4-3 with a barnstorming comeback on Court One.

The Russian burst to a two-set lead and never faced a break point until game five of the third set. But Ljubicic, a former world number three, took his chance and the tide turned inexorably in his favour. He triumphed 4-6 2-6 6-3 6-2 6-4 and faces Monfils for a place in the quarters.

"I smelled the blood, and I said 'Well, now, let's try to hang in here'," said Ljubicic.

Spanish fifth seed David Ferrer was given a reminder of how formidable an opponent Lleyton Hewitt can be before he booked his place in round four with a 6-2 3-6 3-6 6-3 6-4 victory.

Robby Ginepri was busy dispelling the notion that the chances of an American winner went with the exit of the Williams sisters on Friday.

Ginepri, the world number 88, became the first man from the U.S. to reach the last 16 since Andre Agassi in 2003 when he dispatched France's Florent Serra 6-4 6-4 6-4.

Chilean dasher Fernando Gonzalez, the 24th seed, came back from the brink to end the hopes of Rome finalist and Swiss ninth seed Stanislas Wawrinka 5-7 2-6 6-4 6-4 6-4.

(Editing by Pritha Sarkar)