NOTEBOOK \ French Open

Sharapova needs matches: Maria Sharapova chalked up her fourth-round exit to one thing: a lack of matches. The 2004 Wimbledon champion hadn't played in a tournament since April 1 because of an injured right ankle, and she wasted a 5-1 lead in the final set Sunday against Dinara Safina before losing 7-5, 2-6, 7-5. "Unfortunately, I haven't played a lot of matches in the past weeks and don't feel like I'm match-tough enough," the fourth-seeded Sharapova said. Against Safina, Sharapova blew two set points in the first set, then served for the match twice in the third. Sharapova made three consecutive forehand errors to lose her serve in the 10th game, making it 5-all in the final set. Sharapova believes she'll be back in form by the time Wimbledon starts June 26. "I feel like I'm hitting the ball really well," she said. "The main thing is I haven't been able to play matches. It's really tough to come out and play a Grand Slam when you haven't had matches, especially for me on clay."
No Serena: With Serena Williams taking an extended break because of a knee injury, her older sister, Venus, had to find a new practice partner. Venus hits with different people, but there's no one quite like her sibling. "Hitting with Serena is very much like hitting with myself. Sometimes it can be good, sometimes it can be bad," Venus said after reaching the quarterfinals by beating Patty Schnyder in three sets Sunday. "Sometimes we're like, you know -- 'too powerful' is the best way to describe it. So sometimes you just need someone to be across the net who is not Serena or Venus, to just bring the ball back."
Ancic gets by: Mario Ancic overcame an upset stomach and leg cramps to reach the quarterfinals for the first time. Ancic threw up during the match, and he got treatment on his left thigh from a trainer during the 10th game of the fifth set. But he managed to beat No. 7-seeded Tommy Robredo of Spain 6-4, 4-6, 2-6, 6-4, 7-5 in nearly four hours.
Associated Press
Copyright 2006 Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.