<p>Maria Sharapova marked her first appearance on Court Philippe Chatrier in three years with a 6-2, 6-1 rout of Karolina Pliskova to set-up a blockbuster French Open last-16 duel with nemesis Serena Williams on Saturday, while 10-time champion Rafael Nadal defeated childhood friend Richard Gasquet for the 16th time.</p>.<p>Five-time Grand Slam champion Sharapova, the winner in Paris in 2012 and 2014, hadn't played on Roland Garros' showpiece arena since a quarterfinal exit in 2015.</p>.<p>The 31-year-old served a doping suspension in 2016 and was refused a wildcard in 2017. However, she made up for lost time by firing 18 winners past an under-cooked Pliskova, the sixth seed, in just under an hour.</p>.<p>She will next face either 23-time Grand Slam champion Williams, who blasted past German 11th seed Julia Goerges 6-3, 6-4.</p>.<p>Sharapova and Serena have met 21 times, with the American leading the head-to-head record 19-2 after 18 consecutive wins dating back to 2004.</p>.<p>Nadal continued his bid for an 11th French Open title by brushing aside Gasquet to claim a 16th consecutive win over his childhood friend. The world number one's record at Roland Garros now stands at 82 wins and just two losses. The 16-time Grand Slam champion eased to a 6-3, 6-2, 6-2 victory on Chatrier.</p>.<p>The 31-year-old also took his run of consecutive completed sets at the French Open to 34, just seven shy of the record held by Bjorn Borg between 1979 and 1981.</p>.<p>Nadal, who lost only two points in the first five games, will next play Germany's world number 70 Maximilian Marterer, who beat Estonian lucky loser Jurgen Zopp.</p>.<p>Former champion Garbine Muguruza reached the last 16 for the fifth successive year with a comfortable 6-0, 6-2 win over Australia's Sam Stosur.</p>.<p>Spanish third seed Muguruza, the 2016 winner in Paris and the reigning Wimbledon champion, fired 15 winners past Stosur, the 34-year-old 2010 runner-up and former US Open champion.</p>.<p>The Spaniard goes on to face Lesia Tsurenko of Ukraine who knocked out Slovakian 19th seed Magdalena Rybarikova 6-2, 6-4.</p>.<p>Estonian 25th seed Anett Kontaveit made the last 16 for the first time by downing Czech eighth seed Petra Kvitova who saw her 13-match win streak end in a horror show of 57 unforced errors.</p>.<p>Kontaveit next faces US Open champion Sloane Stephens, the American 10th seed, who saw off Italy's Camila Giorgi 4-6, 6-1, 8-6.</p>.<p>Italy's Fabio Fognini made the last 16 for the second time with a 6-3, 4-6, 3-6, 6-4, 6-4 win over Britain's last man standing Kyle Edmund.</p>.<p>Juan Martin del Potro fired a menacing warning to those already writing Nadal's name on the French Open trophy with a bludgeoning 7-5, 6-4, 6-1 third-round defeat of Spanish clay-courter Albert Ramos-Vinolas.</p>.<p>Caroline Garcia suffered some late jitters but produced an impressive performance to beat Romania's Irina-Camelia Begu 6-1, 6-3 and reach the last 16. The seventh seed played neatly throughout, committing only 13 unforced errors -- three times less than in the previous round -- to set up a meeting with German Angelique Kerber or Belgian Kiki Bertens.</p>.<p>Marin Cilic brought out his A-game to swiftly dispatch hapless American Steve Johnson 6-3, 6-2, 6-4. The Croatian third seed whipped nine aces and 35 winners past Johnson to reach the last 16 for the fifth time in 12 visits.</p>.<p>Those fans packed into the intimate Court One bullring might have hoped for a longer contest than the 94-minute drubbing but the Croatian made sure not everyone went away disappointed.</p>.<p>Top seed Simona Halep eased to a 7-5, 6-0 victory over German Andrea Petkovic to reach the fourth round. Petkovic struggled with a right knee injury in the second set as Romanian Halep moved into the second week at Roland Garros for the fourth time.</p>.<p class="ListBody"><span class="bold">Results (prefix denotes seeding): Third round: Men’s singles:</span> 1-Rafael Nadal (ESP) bt 27-Richard Gasquet (FRA) 6-3, 6-2, 6-2; Maximilian Marterer (GER) bt Jurgen Zopp (EST) 6-2, 6-1, 6-4; 18-Fabio Fognini (ITA) bt 16-Kyle Edmund (GBR) 6-3, 4-6, 3-6, 6-4, 6-4; Karen Khachanov (RUS) bt 15-Lucas Pouille (FRA) 6-3, 7-5, 6-3; Maximilian Marterer (GER) bt Jurgen Zopp (EST) 6-2, 6-1, 6-4; 8-David Goffin (BEL) bt 32-Gael Monfils (FRA) 6-7 (6/8), 6-3, 4-6, 7-5, 6-3; Karen Khachanov (RUS) bt 15-Lucas Pouille (FRA) 6-3, 7-5, 6-3.</p>.<p class="ListBody"><span class="bold">Women’s singles:</span> 1-Simona Halep (ROU) bt Andrea Petkovic (GER) 7-5, 6-0; 3-Garbine Muguruza (ESP) bt Sam Stosur (AUS) 6-0, 6-2; Lesia Tsurenko (UKR) bt 19-Magdalena Rybarikova (SVK) 6-2, 6-4; 28-Maria Sharapova (RUS) bt 6-Karolina Pliskova (CZE) 6-2, 6-1; 25-Anett Kontaveit (EST) bt 8-Petra Kvitova (CZE) 7-6 (8/6), 7-6 (7/4); 10-Sloane Stephens (USA) bt Camila Giorgi (ITA) 4-6, 6-1, 8-6.</p>
<p>Maria Sharapova marked her first appearance on Court Philippe Chatrier in three years with a 6-2, 6-1 rout of Karolina Pliskova to set-up a blockbuster French Open last-16 duel with nemesis Serena Williams on Saturday, while 10-time champion Rafael Nadal defeated childhood friend Richard Gasquet for the 16th time.</p>.<p>Five-time Grand Slam champion Sharapova, the winner in Paris in 2012 and 2014, hadn't played on Roland Garros' showpiece arena since a quarterfinal exit in 2015.</p>.<p>The 31-year-old served a doping suspension in 2016 and was refused a wildcard in 2017. However, she made up for lost time by firing 18 winners past an under-cooked Pliskova, the sixth seed, in just under an hour.</p>.<p>She will next face either 23-time Grand Slam champion Williams, who blasted past German 11th seed Julia Goerges 6-3, 6-4.</p>.<p>Sharapova and Serena have met 21 times, with the American leading the head-to-head record 19-2 after 18 consecutive wins dating back to 2004.</p>.<p>Nadal continued his bid for an 11th French Open title by brushing aside Gasquet to claim a 16th consecutive win over his childhood friend. The world number one's record at Roland Garros now stands at 82 wins and just two losses. The 16-time Grand Slam champion eased to a 6-3, 6-2, 6-2 victory on Chatrier.</p>.<p>The 31-year-old also took his run of consecutive completed sets at the French Open to 34, just seven shy of the record held by Bjorn Borg between 1979 and 1981.</p>.<p>Nadal, who lost only two points in the first five games, will next play Germany's world number 70 Maximilian Marterer, who beat Estonian lucky loser Jurgen Zopp.</p>.<p>Former champion Garbine Muguruza reached the last 16 for the fifth successive year with a comfortable 6-0, 6-2 win over Australia's Sam Stosur.</p>.<p>Spanish third seed Muguruza, the 2016 winner in Paris and the reigning Wimbledon champion, fired 15 winners past Stosur, the 34-year-old 2010 runner-up and former US Open champion.</p>.<p>The Spaniard goes on to face Lesia Tsurenko of Ukraine who knocked out Slovakian 19th seed Magdalena Rybarikova 6-2, 6-4.</p>.<p>Estonian 25th seed Anett Kontaveit made the last 16 for the first time by downing Czech eighth seed Petra Kvitova who saw her 13-match win streak end in a horror show of 57 unforced errors.</p>.<p>Kontaveit next faces US Open champion Sloane Stephens, the American 10th seed, who saw off Italy's Camila Giorgi 4-6, 6-1, 8-6.</p>.<p>Italy's Fabio Fognini made the last 16 for the second time with a 6-3, 4-6, 3-6, 6-4, 6-4 win over Britain's last man standing Kyle Edmund.</p>.<p>Juan Martin del Potro fired a menacing warning to those already writing Nadal's name on the French Open trophy with a bludgeoning 7-5, 6-4, 6-1 third-round defeat of Spanish clay-courter Albert Ramos-Vinolas.</p>.<p>Caroline Garcia suffered some late jitters but produced an impressive performance to beat Romania's Irina-Camelia Begu 6-1, 6-3 and reach the last 16. The seventh seed played neatly throughout, committing only 13 unforced errors -- three times less than in the previous round -- to set up a meeting with German Angelique Kerber or Belgian Kiki Bertens.</p>.<p>Marin Cilic brought out his A-game to swiftly dispatch hapless American Steve Johnson 6-3, 6-2, 6-4. The Croatian third seed whipped nine aces and 35 winners past Johnson to reach the last 16 for the fifth time in 12 visits.</p>.<p>Those fans packed into the intimate Court One bullring might have hoped for a longer contest than the 94-minute drubbing but the Croatian made sure not everyone went away disappointed.</p>.<p>Top seed Simona Halep eased to a 7-5, 6-0 victory over German Andrea Petkovic to reach the fourth round. Petkovic struggled with a right knee injury in the second set as Romanian Halep moved into the second week at Roland Garros for the fourth time.</p>.<p class="ListBody"><span class="bold">Results (prefix denotes seeding): Third round: Men’s singles:</span> 1-Rafael Nadal (ESP) bt 27-Richard Gasquet (FRA) 6-3, 6-2, 6-2; Maximilian Marterer (GER) bt Jurgen Zopp (EST) 6-2, 6-1, 6-4; 18-Fabio Fognini (ITA) bt 16-Kyle Edmund (GBR) 6-3, 4-6, 3-6, 6-4, 6-4; Karen Khachanov (RUS) bt 15-Lucas Pouille (FRA) 6-3, 7-5, 6-3; Maximilian Marterer (GER) bt Jurgen Zopp (EST) 6-2, 6-1, 6-4; 8-David Goffin (BEL) bt 32-Gael Monfils (FRA) 6-7 (6/8), 6-3, 4-6, 7-5, 6-3; Karen Khachanov (RUS) bt 15-Lucas Pouille (FRA) 6-3, 7-5, 6-3.</p>.<p class="ListBody"><span class="bold">Women’s singles:</span> 1-Simona Halep (ROU) bt Andrea Petkovic (GER) 7-5, 6-0; 3-Garbine Muguruza (ESP) bt Sam Stosur (AUS) 6-0, 6-2; Lesia Tsurenko (UKR) bt 19-Magdalena Rybarikova (SVK) 6-2, 6-4; 28-Maria Sharapova (RUS) bt 6-Karolina Pliskova (CZE) 6-2, 6-1; 25-Anett Kontaveit (EST) bt 8-Petra Kvitova (CZE) 7-6 (8/6), 7-6 (7/4); 10-Sloane Stephens (USA) bt Camila Giorgi (ITA) 4-6, 6-1, 8-6.</p>