Nadal comes from behind again; rocky rides for Sharapova, Azarenka

PARIS: Rafael Nadal came from behind yet again at the French Open and reached the fourth round by beating Fabio Fognini of Italy 7-6 (5), 6-4, 6-4 yesterday.
After dropping the opening set in his first two matches, Nadal trailed 4-2 and was down a break at 6-5 before surging ahead for his 18th consecutive victory.
Nadal seeks to become the first man to win eight titles at the same Grand Slam event. He improved to 55-1 at Roland Garros despite enduring some wobbly moments for the third match in a row.
Nadal committed 40 unforced errors and faced 11 break points.
He next plays No. 13-seeded Kei Nishikori, who became the first Japanese man in 75 years to reach the fourth round at Roland Garros, beating Frenchman Benoit Paire.
Defending champion Maria Sharapova and third-seeded Victoria Azarenka endured rocky rides into the last-16 while the United States saw four women make the second week.
World No. 2 Sharapova clinched a 6-1, 7-5 win over China’s Zheng Jie, the world No. 43, in a third round clash which witnessed 11 breaks of serve.
The second seeded Russian will take on America’s Sloane Stephens, who she beat comfortably on clay in Rome two weeks ago, for a place in the quarterfinals.
But the 26-year-old has work to do after firing down 34 unforced errors, an ugly tally, which was at least partially soothed by her 25 winners.
Sharapova, playing in her 11th French Open, had reached the third round for the loss of just nine games and seemed on course for another routine win yesterday.
The world No. 2 held for 6-5 and took the tie when Zheng netted a return.
Azarenka overcame 10 double faults and 31 errors on her way to defeating France’s Alize Cornet, 4-6, 6-3, 6-1.
The 23-year-old Australian Open champion reeled off the last six games of the match and goes on to face Italy’s 2010 champion Francesca Schiavone.
“I really felt that I left my serve at home,” said Azarenka, who has never got beyond the quarterfinals in Paris.
“But if I can win serving like this, that’s pretty remarkable.” The 23-year-old Cornet, fresh from a third career title in Strasbourg on the eve of Roland Garros, had the initiative in the deciding set when she broke to lead 1-0.
But Azarenka stepped on the gas, winning six games on the bounce to take victory.
“She a machine, a juggernaut,” said Cornet. “She plays the same from the first to the last point.” The United States will have four women in the fourth round.
Top seed Serena Williams made sure of her place on Friday and on Saturday she was joined by Sloane Stephens, Bethanie Mattek-Sands and Jamie Hampton.
Stephens, the 17th seed, reached the last 16 for the second successive year with a 6-4, 6-7 (5/7), 6-3 win over New Zealand’s Marina Erakovic.
“I felt like I played well the whole time. Like my coach always says, you have to respect the other player and what they’re doing,” said Stephens, who has won three matches in succession for the first time since reaching the Australian Open semi-finals in January.
Mattek-Sands, the conqueror of 2011 champion Li Na in the second round, made the last 16 for the first time with a 4-6, 6-1, 6-3 win over Argentine qualifier Paula Ormaechea.
Mattek-Sands will face next Russian 12th seed Maria Kirilenko.
Hampton, the world No. 54, achieved her first win over a top 10 player when she held her nerve after wasting two match points to beat Czech seventh seed Petra Kvitova, 6-1, 7-6 (9/7).
The 23-year-old from Alabama will face either Australian ninth seed Samantha Stosur, the 2010 runner-up, or Serb 18th seed Jelena Jankovic, a three-time semifinalist in 2007, 2008 and 2010.
Schiavone, now at 50 in the world, ended French hopes in the women’s singles by putting out 13th seed Marion Bartoli, 6-2, 6-1.