CARSON, California (Ticker) -- Maria Sharapova has never looked this good, and that's saying something.
The top-seeded Sharapova cruised to another straight-sets win Thursday, dropping just three games in an annihilation of 15th seed Marion Bartoli in the third round of the $600,000 JPMorgan Chase Open.
After falling in the Wimbledon semifinals to eventual champion Amelie Mauresmo, the 19-year-old Sharapova took a month off. The time away seems to have done her good. The ravishing Russian has ravaged the competition, ringing up seven straight match wins without dropping a set. In that run is her first win in five career meetings with Belgium's Kim Clijsters in the final of last week's Acura Classic.
The latest victim was Bartoli, who succumbed, 6-2, 6-1.
Sharapova has lost just seven games in her first two matches.
Third-seeded countrywoman Elena Dementieva displayed some early frustrations in recording a 7-5, 6-3 victory over No. 14 Shahar Peer of Israel.
The world's sixth-ranked player, Dementieva blew a 4-0 lead and had a handful of outbursts in her native tongue before regrouping to avenge a loss to Peer in the third round of the French Open.
In search of her first title since Tokyo in February, Dementieva next will face American Bethanie Mattek, who breezed past Ukraine's Alona Bondarenko, 6-1, 6-1.
Dementieva could meet Sharapova for the seventh career time in the semifinals. Before that possible matchup, Sharapova will have to get past fifth-seeded compatriot Dinara Safina, who eliminated American Laura Granville, 6-2, 7-6 (7-2). There are three Americans left in the draw - Mattek, Meghann Shaughnessy and seven-time Grand Slam champion Serena Williams, who will try to continue her comeback from a left knee injury with a night match against No. 7 Daniela Hantuchova of Slovakia.
Williams reached the semifinals at Cincinnati three weeks ago, her first appearance since the Australian Open. She holds a 3-1 mark in the all-time series and said she was looking forward to the matchup.
Shaughnessy is playing unseeded Spaniard Virginia Ruano Pascual for a berth in the round of eight. The winner gets Williams or Hantuchova.
No. 16 Jelena Jankovic of Serbia & Montenegro rolled to a 6-4, 6-1 victory over Samantha Stosur of Australia, who stunned fourth-seeded American Lindsay davenport in the second round.
Jankovic awaits the winner of the match between compatriot and 10th seed Ana Ivanovic and sixth seed Anna-Lena Groenefeld of Germany.
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