INDIAN WELLS, California, 16 March 2005 — Andre Agassi and Maria Sharapova stole the show on center court with impressive victories over Dinara Safina and Andrei Pavel in the third round of the Pacific Life Open on Monday.
Third seed Sharapova beat her compatriot 6-2, 6-3 and former titleholder Agassi dispatched Romanian Pavel 6-3, 6-4.
The two former Wimbledon champions benefited from a drop in strong winds that had upset earlier competitors.
Sharapova will face Colombia’s Fabiola Zuluaga who stopped 2002 Indian Wells champ Daniela Hantuchova 6-3, 6-2.
Third seed Andy Roddick encountered few problems in crushing 26th seed Jiri Novak 6-1, 6-2, but it was the 34-year-old Agassi who had the crowd on their feet during the night session by displaying a basket full of shots.
Roddick will next play Olympic singles bronze medal winner Fernando Gonzalez, of Chile, who dispatched American James Blake 6-4, 0-6, 6-3.
Briton Tim Henman overcame swirling winds to defeat Austria’s Juergen Melzer 7-5, 6-4 and women’s top seed Lindsay Davenport also advanced, wearing down compatriot Meghann Shaughnessy 6-2, 2-6, 6-2.
Henman will play 12th seed Tommy Robredo of Spain, a 4-6, 6-2, 7-6 winner over Sweden’s Thomas Enqvist.
Davenport and Shaughnessy also contested a scrappy affair, hitting 51 unforced errors between them. Frenchwoman Mary Pierce ended the run of 15-year-old Czech Nicole Vaidisova 6-4, 6-4 and world No. 473 Viktoriya Kutuzova of the Ukraine upset 17th seeded American Amy Frazer 6-3, 6-3.
