Serena and Sharapova march on at French Open

Serena Williams and Maria Sharapova stayed firmly on course for a French Open final showdown by scoring one-sided wins in their ties today.
The two superstars of the women's game have been duelling for the world number one spot for the last year along with Victoria Azarenka, and their rivalry is currently the biggest draw in the women's game.
Neither was untroubled on Friday as the rain that had bedevilled Thursday's play let up to be replaced by cold, blustery conditions that had players draping towels around their shoulders at the changeovers and spectators wrapping up in coats and scarves.

Defending champion and second seed Sharapova was first up, needing only four games and a handful of minutes to finish off her second round tie 6-2, 6-4 against Canadian teenager Eugenie Bouchard.
The match had been suspended late Thursday when the rain came down again with the Russian second seed up a set and 4-2.
It was a lesson in big-time tennis for the promising 19-year-old from Quebec, who won the Wimbledon girls singles title last year and who was playing in her first Grand Slam tournament.

Sharapova, a teenage tennis sensation herself when she won the 2004 Wimbledon title at the age of 17, will go on to play China's Zheng Jie who eased past Melanie Oudin of the United States 6-3, 6-1.

She is now on a nine-match winning streak at Roland Garros having completed her collection of Grand Slam titles in Paris last year, the seventh woman in the Open era to achieve that feat.
"It was a pretty long day yesterday. Left here pretty late and then had an early morning," Sharapova said.
"But, we all know what to expect. We all kind of knew the weather wasn't going to be really good yesterday.
"I was happy to play part of the match and obviously get myself in a good position to come out today and finish the match.