The eagerly awaited match pitted Davenport, who was 19-1 with three titles since returning to the tour, against a former Grand Slam winner for the first time since she took maternity leave.

In the following match on center court, sixth-ranked Andy Roddick was hot on a cool night to advance 6-2, 6-2, 6-4 over Germany’s Michael Berrer.

Not quite as hot as Sharapova, who yielded only six points in the first five games, keeping Davenport constantly on the run. Serena Williams and top-ranked Justine Henin earlier scored straight-set victories that weren’t as easy as the scores indicated to move a step closer to a possible semifinal showdown.

Williams was the aggressor in a 6-3, 6-1 win over Meng Yuan, hitting so hard on virtually every shot that she seemed to be trying to reduce the ball to bits of fluff.

Henin ran through the first set against Russia’s Olga Poutchkova in 22 minutes while committing just five unforced errors. She faced a fight in the second set but eventually won 6-1, 7-5.

Second-ranked Rafael Nadal breezed to a 6-0, 6-2, 6-2 win over Frenchman Florent Serra. Unseeded Mardy Fish ousted No. 11 Tommy Robredo, but two other Americans were eliminated: Jesse Levine lost to No. 24 Jarkko Nieminen and Sam Warburg fell to Frenchman Jo-Wilfried Tsonga, who followed his upset of No. 9 Andy Murray by hitting 54 winners and 14 aces in three sets.

No. 4 Nikolay Davydenko, No. 14 Mikhail Youzhny, No. 20 Ivo Karlovic and No. 23 Paul-Henri Mathieu also advanced. No. 18 Amelie Mauresmo needed 10 match points to beat Yaroslava Shvedova of Russia. Also advancing were third-seeded Jelena Jankovic, No. 11 Elena Dementieva, No. 12 Nicole Vaidisova and No. 17 Shahar Peer.

Melbourne melange

Henin agrees with WTA boss

MELBOURNE: Justine Henin agrees with WTA Tour chairman Larry Scott that players should be suspended as soon as they test positive to doping, instead of waiting for an appeal. Scott said at the Australian Open that provisional suspensions could be introduced as early as next year. “I think as soon as you’ve tested positive you should be suspendede,” Henin said.