Serena Williams took just 44 minutes to dispatch Australia's Samantha Stosur on Tuesday as she stepped up her bid for her first Olympic singles gold.

The fourth seed, whose odds have shortened dramatically after a raft of pull-outs, broke at 3-2 and took complete control, reeling off the last 10 games.

The 2000 doubles winner's round-three opponent is French 12th seed Alize Cornet, who subdued a vociferous home crowd in outclassing China's Peng Shuai 6-2, 6-2.

Cornet, 18, buried a deep backhand to break Peng's first service game and found two more in the opening set.

Support from thousands of Chinese fans could not lift Peng, who was broken immediately in the second set and never recovered.

Daniela Hantuchova of Slovakia, the 10th seed, lost to Danish teen Caroline Wozniacki 6-1, 6-3 in the other early match.

Incoming men's number one Rafael Nadal will later face Australia's Lleyton Hewitt, who last occupied the top ranking in June 2003.

Top seed Roger Federer has a mismatch against El Salvadoran invitee Rafael Arevalo, the world 447, while third-ranked Novak Djokovic is up against Wimbledon semifinalist Rainer Schuettler.

Eighth seed James Blake, the last remaining US men's player, faces injury-hit Slovakian Dominik Hrbaty.

Newly crowned women's number one Jelena Jankovic, the second seed, will have more treatment on a painful calf before deciding whether to play Ukraine's Alona Bondarenko.

The women's draw has been blown open by injuries with top seed Ana Ivanovic pulling out on Sunday followed by India's Sania Mirza on day two.

Lindsay Davenport has withdrawn from the singles while Maria Sharapova, Tatiana Golovin and Amelie Mauresmo could not even make the trip.

AFP

RSS
Digg
de.li.cious
facebook