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Paris, France (Sports Network) - Maria Sharapova continued to dominate her early opposition at the French Open, while defending champion Li Na and reigning Wimbledon winner Petra Kvitova each came away with tough wins on Saturday. Anthony Fasano Jersey . Former champ Francesca Schiavone, meanwhile, was shown an early exit as the third round of the years second major championship began to wind down. Sharapova needs only a French Open title to complete a career Grand Slam and has simply rolled through the first three rounds. The second-seeded Russian had her toughest match to date on Saturday with a 6-2, 6-1 pasting of Chinas Peng Shuai. It took a mere 66 minutes, but it was the longest time the three-time Grand Slam winner was on the court in the first week. Sharapova dispatched Alexandra Cadantu in a first-round double-bagel in 48 minutes, then dropped just two games in a 60-minute thumping of Ayumi Morita in the second round. "I just see it as I played really good matches, beat great players," said Sharapova. "And Ive got to keep moving forward and try to do that again." Another unseeded player awaits Sharapova in the fourth round, as Klara Zakopalova of the Czech Republic dumped 22nd-seeded Russian Anastasia Pavlyuchenkova, 6-3, 7-5, on Saturday. It wasnt nearly as easy for Li or Kvitova. Li, who beat Schiavone in last years final at Roland Garros to become the first Asian player to win a Grand Slam event, had to rally for a 3-6, 6-2, 6-1 victory over American Christina McHale. The fourth-seeded Kvitova also had to go the distance, claiming a 6-2, 4-6, 6-1 triumph over Russian Nina Bratchikova. Next up for the Czech star will be American Varvara Lepchenko, who took out Schiavone, 3-6, 6-3, 8-6. Schiavone became the first Italian woman to capture a Grand Slam title when she won the 2010 French Open and nearly repeated last year. She could have earned a rematch with Li in this years quarterfinals, but ran into an opponent that had already given her trouble this year. Lepchenko, a Uzbekistan-born resident of Allentown, Pennsylvania, beat Schiavone last month in the first round of the Madrid Open. Lepchenko also took out Jelena Jankovic in the second round this week and is in the midst of her best Grand Slam tournament. In 14 previous majors, Lepchenko had never been past the second round. "It was two completely different matches when I played her in Madrid and here," said Lepchenko about facing Schiavone. "In Madrid, she was missing so much and making easy errors, and here she started out amazing. I was like, oh, now I know why she won a Grand Slam. "I had to really pull it together and stay very aggressive and fight," she added. "Till the very end, I didnt know if Im gonna win, but I kept believing in myself." Li, meanwhile, struggled through the first set Saturday with 24 unforced errors. She quickly regrouped and committed just 20 for the remainder of the match. The Chinese star picked up an early break for a 3-1 lead in the third set and it proved too much for McHale, who failed to win another game. "Tennis is the best of three sets," said Li. "In the first set, I always followed what she did. I changed a little bit in the beginning of the second set and [got her] to play my way." The seventh-seeded Li will next meet Kazakhstans Yaroslava Shvedova, who advanced Saturday with a 6-4, 7-5 win over Spains Carla Suarez Navarro. Former world No. 1 Caroline Wozniacki made another early exit at a major, as Estonias Kaia Kanepi sent the ninth-seeded Dane home with a 6-1, 6-7 (3-7), 6-3 defeat. It marked Wozniackis second straight third-round setback at the French. Wozniacki, despite finishing the 2010 and 2011 seasons as the top-ranked player, has never won a Grand Slam event. She reached one final, losing to Kim Clijsters at the 2009 U.S. Open, and her best result on the storied red clay of Paris was a quarterfinal in 2010. Kanepi squandered a huge lead Saturday, and did so more than once. She held a 5-1 cushion in the second set and had a pair of match points. Wozniacki saved both and went on to win 14 straight points to get back into the match, but Kanepi won the 11th game after falling behind 0-40 and had another chance to serve it out, but failed and Wozniacki easily won the tiebreaker. Again Kanepi built a 5-1 lead in the third set and watched Wozniacki win two straight games, but this time the 23rd seed finally finished it off and is in position to reach the quarterfinals for the second time at Roland Garros. She did so previously in 2008 and will vie for a spot in this years round of 16 against Arantxa Rus of the Netherlands. Rus advanced Saturday with a 7-6 (7-5), 2-6, 6-2 win over Germanys Julia Goerges. Fourth-round play begins Sunday with top-seeded Victoria Azarenka and 2009 French champ Svetlana Kuznetsova in action. Azarenka will take on 15th-seeded Slovakian Dominika Cibulkova, while Kuznetsova, coming off a third-round win over third-seeded Agnieszka Radwanska, will battle Italys Sara Errani, who knocked out 2008 French winner Ana Ivanovic in the third round. Also, 2010 runner-up Samantha Stosur will meet American Sloane Stephens and 10th-seeded German Angelique Kerber will square off against Croatias Petra Martic. Ryan Tannehill Womens Jersey . Kaman, who played last season in New Orleans, announced on his Twitter account Wednesday that he was "Partnering up with (at)swish41 and heading to the Mavs . Reggie Bush Orange Jersey . The top-seeded world No. 6 Ferrer topped Canadian qualifier Pierre-Ludovic Duclos 6-4, 6-4 in just over an hour-and-a-half at Autotron Rosmalen. The Spanish Ferrer, who titled here in 2008, will meet Argentine Leonardo Mayer on Wednesday. http://www.miamidolphinsfansprostore.com/karlos-dansby-jerseys . He pounded the strike zone like the Lincecum of old. More than anything, he pitched the San Francisco Giants into first place while winning again at last. Ryan Tannehill White Jersey . The 11th seed from Thornhill, Ont., who often trains in the Catalan capital during the season, advances to meet sixth-seeded Spaniard Nicolas Almagro on Thursday. Ryan Tannehill Youth Jersey . John OSheas header in the 7th minute nearly gave Ireland the lead but the ball went just over the crossbar, while teammate Robbie Keanes shot a few minutes later forced a deft save from goalkeeper Adam Bogdan, Hungarys player of the match. NEW YORK -- The New York City Marathon was cancelled on Friday by Mayor Michael Bloomberg after mounting criticism that this was not the time for a race while the region is still recovering from Superstorm Sandy. With people in storm-ravaged areas shivering without electricity and the death toll in the city at more than 40, many New Yorkers recoiled at the prospect of police officers being assigned to protect a marathon, storm victims being evicted from hotels to make way for runners, and big generators humming along at the finish-line tents in Central Park. Around 47,500 runners from around the globe had been expected to take part in the 26.2-mile (42.2-kilometre) event Sunday, with more than 1 million spectators usually lining the route for the worlds largest marathon. The race had been scheduled to start in Staten Island, one of the storms hardest-hit places. Bloomberg had pressed ahead with plans run the marathon on schedule, but opposition intensified quickly Friday afternoon from the city controller, Manhattan borough president and sanitation workers. Finally, the mayor backed down about three hours later. "We would not want a cloud to hang over the race or its participants, and so we have decided to cancel it," Bloomberg said in a statement. "We cannot allow a controversy over an athletic event -- even one as meaningful as this -- to distract attention away from all the critically important work that is being done to recover from the storm and get our city back on track." The cancellation means there wont be another NYC Marathon until next year. Bloomberg called the marathon an "integral part of New York Citys life for 40 years" and "an event tens of thousands of New Yorkers participate in and millions more watch." He still insisted that holding the race would not require diverting resources from the recovery effort, but understood the level of friction. "It is clear it that it has become the source of controversy and division," Bloomberg said. "The marathon has always brought our city together and inspired us with stories of courage and determination. Bloombergs decision came just a day after he appealed to the grit and resiliency of New Yorkers, saying "This city is a city where we have to go on." The nationally televised race winds through the citys five boroughs and has been held annually since 1970 -- it was held in 2001, about two months after the Sept. 11 terrorist attacks. "This race is a very special one for me and millions of people around the world, but I understand why it cannot be held under the current circumstances," said Meb Keflezighi, the 2009 mens champion. "Any inconveniences the cancellation causes me or the thousands of runners who trained and travelled forr this race pales in comparison to the challenges faced by people in NYC and its vicinity in the aftermath of Sandy. Anthony Fasano Womens Jersey. New York is my favourite place to race, so I will be back to participate in other events soon." As for the amateur runners, Nikki Davies of London arrived Friday looking forward to the race. "I can understand not wanting to run through devastated parts of the city," she said. "I thought if they cancel it, theyd cancel it earlier." But she plans to stay in New York for 10 days. On her agenda? "A lot of sightseeing," she said. The marathon usually is a civic celebration. Not just for elite runners, the race attracts crowds that gather in the five boroughs to cheer family and friends, hold up encouraging posters, distribute water cups and drape silver wraps around the shoulders of the finishers. In buildings along the route, there are untold numbers of parties, ranging from catered feasts to grilled burgers. Thousands lined Central Park as Geoffrey Mutai of Kenya set a course record last year in 2 hours, 5 minutes, 6 seconds. By the time last-place finisher Mouldi Fehri of France was nearing the end in 9:31:43, traffic had reopened on Central Park South and people hardly took notice. Sue Ann Ng Martinez of Old Bridge, New Jersey, finished 46,535th and next to last, the final woman across the line in 2011. This year, she was focused on victims trying to copy with their losses. "Im more concerned about the people in Staten Island," Martinez said. People from all over the globe come to New York for the race. Retired Manchester United goalkeeper Edwin van der Sar had a 4:19 time last year in his first marathon and trained four months this time hoping to improve Sunday. His wife and two children travelled with him from Amsterdam on Thursday and his family planned to run in a 5K on Saturday. "When you see the relief effort at the moment and people without water and electricity and certain basic needs, its probably for the better to get the resources to the people who really need it," he said. Some runners at the New Yorker Hotel in midtown -- just above the blackout zone caused by the superstorm -- were in the lobby crying when they learned the race was off. One person was curled up on a couch, sobbing. "We spend a year on this," said Gisela Clausen of Munich. "We dont eat what we want. We dont drink what we want. And were on the streets for hours. We live for this marathon, but we understand." In one corner of the New Yorker, a group of Italian runners watched the news with blank looks. "I have no words," said Roberto DellOlmo, from Vercelli, Italy. Then later: "I would like that the money I give from the marathon goes to victims." ' ' '