Maria Sharapova left no doubt here on Saturday that, after all she�s been through,

the main stage is where she belongs in tennis. In less than an hour on Court
Philippe Chatrier, she blew sixth seed Karolina Pliskova out of the third round of
the French Open as if she were the hired help and, while considerable challenges
remain, the Russian has renewed hopes of reaching the final weekend.

�I took the match rather than her giving it to me,� she said of a one-way contest
in which she allowed the Czech two games in the first set and one in the second.
Pliskova managed only five clean winners, one of them an ace, and was so pressured
by Sharapova�s consistency she made 16 unforced errors in 59 minutes.

�These are the types of occasions where you want to play really good, solid tennis
against a top-10 player that�s been playing extremely well,� Sharapova added. �When
you�re able to deliver that on a grand slam stage, I think it makes it extra
special.

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�Roland Garros presents maybe more challenges than others with the weather, with
the schedule. You just have to come forward and face it. I improved quite a lot in
this match from my first two rounds. I had to.�

Desperation � or ambition � has invariably lifted her to great heights in a career

glittering with honours. She won here in 2012, beating Sara Errani to complete her
career grand slam, then added a second title in 2014 with victory over Simona
Halep.Sharapova did not look at her best beating Dutch qualifier Rich�l Hogenkamp
in the first round, and was more comfortable against Donna Vekic in the second
round. This, though, was a genuine examination.

Almost as dominant as Sharapova was Garbi�e Muguruza, who has emerged as a genuine
threat in the first week after an indifferent season. She took just over an hour to
destroy former finalist Sam Stosur, 6-0, 6-2, and next plays Lesia Tsurenko, the
unseeded Ukrainian who upset 19th seed Magdalena Rybarikova in exactly an hour,
winning 6-2, 6-4.

Asked what she thought of some critics installing her as favourite to win the
tournament, Muguruza, the reigning Wimbledon champion, said: �I guess they say that
because I had a good match. It happens like this. It�s the normal thing. But I
believe I can hold a trophy not only here; I believe I can do it in every
tournament I play. I�m pleased with my performance. It was never easy match against
a grand slam champion. I�m pleased because I felt in control.�

Belgium�s Elise Mertens, the 16th seed who put Heather Watson out in the previous
round, had a similarly easy afternoon, beating the Australian 24th seed Daria
Gavrilova 6-3, 6-1 in 62 minutes.

On the other side of the draw in a match held over from Friday because of rain, the
10th seed, Sloane Stephens, had an altogether more difficult time of it, but
overcame a slow start to beat Camila Giorgi, 4-6, 6-1, 8-6 in two hours and 26
minutes.