Kuznetsova cruises through

Kuznetsova, who lost to Justine Henin in last year's final, appeared a little cumbersome at times but still proved too strong for her 18-year-old opponent from Slovakia.

The third seed made a sluggish start but managed to break her opponent in the sixth game and repeated the feat two games later to take the opening set in 40 minutes.

After forging an early break in the second set, the 21-year-old Kuznetsova dropped her own serve in the third game but broke back immediately.

Kuznetsova then held on to seal victory with a backhand volley on her first match point after 87 minutes.

The former U.S. Open champion will next meet Israel's Shahar Peer or Slovenia's Katarina Srebotnik for a place in the quarter-finals.

Seventh seed Ana Ivanovic showed no mercy to Romanian qualifier Ioana Raluca Olaru and romped into the fourth round of the French Open with a 6-2 6-0 victory.

Ranked 122 in the world and making her grand slam debut at Roland Garros, Olaru was predictably overawed by the imposing surroundings of the Suzanne Lenglen court and rolled over in 65 minutes.

After dropping just nine games in her three matches so far, Ivanovic looks set to at least equal her best performance in Paris of reaching the quarter-finals when she meets either Daniela Hantuchova or Anabel Medina Garrigues in the last 16.

REUTERS