Top-seeded Maria Sharapova defeated Chanelle Scheepers of South Africa 6-3, 6-1 Wednesday to reach the quarterfinals of the Open GDF Suez.
Sharapova broke for a 4-3 lead in the first set and twice more in the second, clinching the victory when Scheepers netted a backhand.
In first-round matches, American qualifier Bethanie Mattek-Sands finished off Kristina Barrois of Germany with her 10th ace to secure a 7-6 (3), 6-2 win.
American teenager Christina McHale also advanced, edging lucky loser Varvara Lepchenko 6-4, 7-5.
McHale will face Yanina Wickmayer of Belgium. Wickmayer led 6-1 in her first-round match when American veteran Jill Craybas retired because of a right leg injury.
Against Mattek-Sands, Barrois rallied from a 4-1 deficit to force a first-set tiebreaker. But the American won six straight points to take the first set before breaking Barrois twice in the second.
Roberta Vinci of Italy, Klara Zakopalova of the Czech Republic and Monica Niculescu of Romania also advanced.
The seventh-seeded Vinci beat Simona Halep of Romania 6-4, 6-4.
Niculescu outlasted Jarmila Gajdosova of Australia 6-1, 4-6, 6-4 in an erratic match that included 14 service breaks.
Zakopalova cruised past French wild card Alize Cornet 6-3, 6-1, winning eight straight games to lead 5-0 in the second set.
